Dimension Hoppers 5: The Runaway
by Prince Izzy X
Summary: A mysterious kid comes to Ocean Shores to seek refuge. What is he seeking refuge from and what effect will his presence have on the citizens of the town, especially the group of extreme sports enthusiasts? [Mild slash]
1. The Arrival

Disclaimer: Nothing that is copyrighted belongs to me. Only myself & my fan character(s). This goes for the whole fic.

::The camera turns on in a large studio. There's a desk in front of a red curtain & a chair by it. Applause is heard as Prince Izzy & his associate walk on stage::

Me: Welcome to the show! As you know, I'm Prince Izzy and this—::Points to my associate::—is Izzy, my personal fan character.

Izzy: Hi. Please don't explain the whole dimension hopper thing. If they read your other fics in this series, they would know.

Me: -- Ok, ok. Let's just go to the Wheel of Plotlines to see which dimension we're going to for this fic. ::Snaps fingers and the wheel appears::

::On the wheel are several panels. One has a white circle with a two pictured, another has a poké ball pictured, one has a rocket ship, another has a fire flower pictured, and the last one has a ring pictured. Floating besides the wheel is a ? block::

Izzy: ::Walks up to the wheel:: Ok. Start it up! ::The wheel starts spinning and he hits the ? block immediately, making the wheel stop and land on the panel with the rocket ship pictured on it:: A rocket ship? What's that mean?

Me: Beats me. I'll take a look. ::The panel opens & I take out the paper and read it:: Oh! We're doing a Rocket Power fic.

Izzy: Cool! I always wanted to go to California!

Me: Glad you liked the decision. Now get outta here! ::Izzy leaves and I laugh evilly:: What he doesn't know though is that this is a slash fic, meaning boy/boy, yaoi, in other words, a story depicting **GAY RELATIONSHIPS**!!! GWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!! Don't like, don't read! That's the only warning you get. Oh, by the way, this is a teen RP fic. Here are the ages for the main characters:

Otto, Twister, and Sam- 17

Reggie- 18 (I always thought she was two years older than the boys, but—::Shrugs::—I'm going by what someone told me in a review for a past story. I would appreciate it if someone can direct me to a site that mentions the official ages, if there even is one.)

Other warnings (I guess they can be warnings): There will be various references to video games and other shows in this fic. The reason? I'm slightly nuts (I'd have to be to write this type of story)! One more thing! I'm issuing an OOC warning for the entire fic, but that should go without saying 'cause it's a slash fic. If you lasted this long, then you're good to go! Enjoy!

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The Runaway Ch. 1: The Arrival

"Wow! The ocean looks so beautiful here!" A boy exclaimed. He was about six feet tall. He was wearing black sweatpants, a long-sleeved, dark blue shirt, and white sneakers. He was also wearing a black cape, black tint sunglasses, and a gray bucket hat. He had kinda dark tanned skin (Think Lars). He also had a backpack on. The boy was looking over the coastal city from atop a hill.

"I wonder what this place is called." He looked to his left at a sign that said, "Welcome to Ocean Shores."

"Ocean Shores, huh? Looks like a peaceful place to relax in." He started to walk down the hill to explore the city.

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'_Hmmm… Not bad._' The kid thought as he passed by buildings and people. The people were giving him odd looks because of the cape that was wrapped around his body. When he got to the bottom of the hill, his stomach growled.

'_Ugh… When was the last time I ate something?_' He looked ahead and saw a pier. At the end was an amusement park. To his left was a row of shops.

'_I guess I better find a place to eat._' He walked toward the crowded pier. His stomach was still hurting him and the blazing California sun didn't help much. As he walked under the sign that marked the pier's entrance, he noticed a skate park underneath. He looked in awe at the kids and teenagers soar through the air, do a trick, and land back on the half pipe. He saw others grinding a rail, among other things. They honestly made it look too easy.

'_I could never do that…_'

"Hey! Look out!" He heard someone shout. The kid looked ahead of him and found the source of the voice. It belonged to a boarder about his height, maybe a foot or so shorter. The boarder was carrying something in his right hand; a bag full of food. He was coming at a fast speed. To avoid a possible collision, the caped kid jumped out of the way. The boarder continued on, not even giving a second glance.

"Ouch! I can't believe some people!" The caped kid yelled as he got up and dusted himself off. He considered giving chase, but his stomach had other ideas.

'_You are annoying._' He thought angrily as he continued on. He soon passed the skate park.

'_I'm gonna keel over if I don't get something in me!_' The kid thought with urgency as he wiped sweat off his forehead. He looked around for anything that resembled a restaurant. He looked up at a nearby building and read a banner.

"'Shore Shack, home of the Hot Durgers.' Finally, some grub!" He didn't care about the odd name of the place's specialty. He just wanted some food! He walked inside and went up to the register.

"Hi. What can I get for you?" The man behind the register greeted. He was wearing a green bucket hat and a chef's jacket. He also looked pretty old. The kid put a hand to his chin.

"I'll have a hamburger and an order of fries."

"Anything else?" The man asked.

"I'll take some pineapple soda if you have any."

(A/N: If you haven't had some pineapple soda, you're missing out on something great!)

"Sure. That'll be $5." The kid fished into his pocket and took out a wallet. He opened it up and took out a $100 bill.

'_My last bit of money. I'll_ _have to get a job if I expect to leave here & continue on._' He thought grimly as he handed the money to the clerk. The clerk looked at the money and the teenager with suspicion. He held the bill up to the dim light and after seeing that it was real, opened the register and gave the kid his change.

"Your order should be ready shortly." The clerk said as he handed the order to a bigger man working the grill. He seemed to be wearing a blue Hawaiian shirt under a white apron.

"Thank you." The kid said as he put the change away and went to a table near the exit. He put down his backpack next to the chair and swung his cape around the back of the chair, revealing a pretty thin body. He sat down and took off his hat and sunglasses, showing a bush of black hair and sullen eyes. He propped his head on an arm and looked out towards the beach, occasionally wiping sweat off his head.

'_It's been so long since I've seen the ocean. It's a lot cleaner here than back home._' He took out the wallet again & pulled out a picture.

On the picture were four people. At the top of the picture were a man & woman. The man had short hair and stubble growing on his face. He was somewhat strong-looking. The woman had long hair and was very beautiful. At the bottom of the picture stood two boys. On the left stood a slim kid that looked to be about twelve. His hair was cut into a fade. He had a face full of life. On the right stood a younger version of the caped kid, except he wasn't wearing the hat or the sunglasses. He had a small amount of hair and bright eyes. Everybody in the picture was wearing capes and looked so happy. They all also had tanned skin and black hair. The kid on the left had his arm around the one on the right and was doing a peace sign. The caped guy gave a heavy sigh and put the picture away.

'_Happy memories I can no longer enjoy._' He thought as he put his head down on the table and closed his eyes.

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_"Mom!" A young voice yelled. "Dad!" Two people, a man and a woman wearing capes, were being dragged off by two extremely strong-looking men while a little boy cried._

_"You are under arrest for treason against the king!" One of the men yelled._

_"What!? We didn't do anything! This is all a big mistake!" The man being handled yelled back._

_"What did we do?! Who will take care of our son!?!?!" The woman yelled as well._

_"Silence! The king will take the kid into custody." The man holding the woman gruffly replied._

_"No! Mom! Dad! Don't leave me!" The boy yelled._

_"Come on, kid." A third thug said as he started to pull the boy away from his parents. Again, he yelled for them._

_"Izzy, be brave son." The father said._

_"Yes. We love you." The mother said. The boy—or Izzy, as he's now known as—tried to pull away from the big man with little success. _

_"Don't leave me!"_

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"No...no... Don't leave me!" Izzy yelled as he was being nudged by the clerk. He woke up panting. He was back in the Shore Shack. He looked at his surroundings and calmed down.

'_Just a dream…_' He thought as he brought a hand to his forehead.

"Are you alright?" The clerk asked, giving him a strange look. Izzy turned towards him & nodded.

"Yes. I'm sorry about that. I guess it was just a nightmare." He looked around again and saw that nobody walking past the restaurant was staring at him.

"Well in any case, your order is ready." Izzy looked at the register and saw a delicious-looking hamburger sitting on top of some fries. A bottle of pineapple soda was next to the basket. He gave a nod and walked across the empty area towards his food. He grabbed them and headed to his table.

'_That dream… I've been having it since that day._' Izzy thought as he ate. His gloomy mood started to brighten a little as he ate. As he finished the burger and started on the fries, his ears picked up a sound. It sounded like something rolling on the concrete, getting louder with every passing second.

'_Sounds like…a skateboard._' He shrugged it off and went back to chowing down. The sound was then very close. Izzy, who had his eyes closed, opened his right eye and noticed a skater coming into the restaurant.

"Hey Dad." The skater said. Izzy promptly choked on his fry when he heard the voice. It was the same guy that almost ran him over! After drinking some of his soda and regaining his composure, he cast a casual glance at the skater. He was going so fast earlier that Izzy didn't get a good look at him.

As mentioned earlier, the skater seemed to be about as tall as Izzy, maybe a foot or so shorter. He was wearing a yellow shirt & burgundy jean shorts. He was also wearing knee pads, shoulder pads, and a red helmet. He had a reddish tan. Izzy was able to make out some red dreadlocks on the back of the boy's head. He couldn't tell, but the boy was wearing a pair of green tint sunglasses.

(A/N: I know I'm making the characters older. Just imagine him and the other Rocket Power kids wearing bigger versions of their regular clothes.)

"Hey Otto. I guess the delivery went through ok?" The clerk from earlier addressed the kid.

'_Otto, huh?_' Izzy thought as he continued to listen to the conversation.

"Yeah. You should've seen me, Raymundo. I was grinding all over the place and everything!" Otto replied.

"So, no problems then?" Raymundo asked.

"Not at all. Well, there was one thing..." Otto said as he ushered his dad into the back room. Izzy picked up his garbage and went to toss it out…and listen to more of the conversation.

"On the way to making the delivery, I almost crashed into this weird-looking shoobie." He heard Otto say.

'_Shoo—? The hell!?_' Izzy thought.

"What did he look like?" Ray asked.

"Well, he was wearing some pretty cool-looking sunglasses, an old-looking gray hat, and this weird cape." Otto answered. Izzy felt a vein pop as he heard the description.

'_WEIRD cape!?!_'

"A cape, huh? There's a customer out there who's wearing a cape." Ray said thoughtfully. It's amazing that Otto didn't notice the accomplice earlier.

'_Oh crap. Time to slink on outta here!_' Izzy thought as he grabbed his stuff, left a tip on the table, and left.

"Heh. Made it out without getting in trouble." He said as he slipped on his hat and sunglasses while giving a last glance at the restaurant.

"Look out!" He heard a female voice yell. He stopped dead in his tracks and looked ahead. A group of three boarders was heading for him. One of them was dangerously close. He scoffed at the boarder.

'_I see ya this time._' Izzy then made to casually step aside…if he didn't step on his cape.

"Woah!" He started to stumble towards the boarder. Izzy tried to stop himself, as the boarder tried to stop as well, but to no avail.

::CRASH!!!::

Both of them fell backwards and landed on their butts. Their items scattered about the area. Izzy, missing his hat, bag, and sunglasses, looked ahead at the boarder. _This_ one was wearing a dark blue tank top on top of a light blue shirt and some greenish brown shorts. Dazed, Izzy shook his head & got up.

"I am so accident prone." He groaned as he picked up his stuff and dusted himself off. He looked at the other guy as the other two boarders, a tall girl, who had purple hair, camouflage pants, and a red-violet shirt; and a shorter guy, who had blond hair, glasses, an orange shirt with an N displayed on it, and jeans helped him up. People who a few seconds ago were walking by started to crowd around the scene.

"Twister! Are you ok?" Otto's voice rang out as he, Ray, and the chef from before broke through the crowd and made their way to the group of boarders.

"So much for a clean getaway." Izzy muttered with his arms crossed. He just stood there, waiting to apologize for what happened. After checking for damage and retrieving the boarder's gear, everybody turned on the boy in the gray hat, who started laughing nervously.

"Um… Sorry?" Silence followed for what seemed like an eternity, but it was really more like five seconds.

"It's cool man." The boarder, Twister, replied. Izzy let out a relieved sigh as the others approached him.

"Are you ok?" The girl asked.

"Yeah. I'm alright. I think I've been having a touch of bad luck today." He replied as he turned towards Otto. "I just got into town and already I've narrowly avoided a hit & run and got in an accident." He added a chuckle for humor. Apparently, no one got the joke.

"Anyway, sorry about what happened." He started to walk off.

"Wait." Otto said. Izzy turned around. "Sorry about what happened earlier. It was the first delivery for the Shack that I did and I was real excited."

"It's alright. By the way, the name's Izzy."

"Cool. My name's Otto. This is my sister, Reggie." Otto gestured toward the girl, who gave a friendly wave. "My dad and Tito." He pointed at the two adults. "My best bro, Twister." He pointed to the boarder that Izzy crashed into. "And last, but not least, Sam." He pointed towards the blond kid.

"Pleased to meet you all. See ya around." Izzy said as he left the pier. He walked up a block and then sat on a bench.

"Whew! That was one scary experience. I thought I was gonna get beat up for sure. I should calm down a bit and continue exploring." He got up and started to jog a little. Soon, he started to go faster, putting his arms behind him to fight wind resistance as he traversed the hill. A few seconds later, he started to clench his open hands into fists. He closed them and went so fast, he was only a blur of black, blue, and gray.

Izzy ran past buildings and houses at an unimaginable speed. He memorized every single address he passed. The school, the pier, City Hall, everywhere. He left no stone unturned as he sped past the main and secondary streets. He went through every area at least twice before he started running in the direction of the beach. He reached a rocky part of the coast. He started to slow down, unclenching his fists, then going into a jog and eventually skidding to a complete stop. Izzy walked up to a rock and stood on top of it. By now, it was sunset and he just felt content with looking out toward the horizon.

"I love to run. It really calms me down." He kept silent for a few seconds to observe the waves breaking against the rocks and the purplish gold of the sky. He felt the wind blow his cape, giving him a mysterious look ruined only by his hat and sunglasses. Izzy gave a smirk to no one in particular.

"I think I'll like it here. This place is full of interesting people." He remembered his experience only a few minutes ago. Sure it was slightly disastrous at first, but at least he made peace. "Now I should get dinner and find a place to stay." Izzy jumped off the rock and sped off towards the city.

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A/N:

And there you go. The beginning of a new adventure. This baby's gonna be packed with humor, tons of action, a little sappiness, and romance (Duh! It's a slash fic!). Anyway, just who is Izzy and what's up with that running!? As a treat, I'm posting the next three chapters now!


	2. The Challenge

Izzy: ::Reads over script from last chapter:: Boss! You're writing a ya-ya-YAOI!?!?!?!?!

Me: Yep.

Izzy: But you're a guy!

Me: Yep.

Izzy: And STRAIGHT!!!

Me: And your point…?

Izzy: B-b-b-b-b-but you...and me...and girls...and... ::Holds head:: Ohhh! The boss's randomness hurts! Well, now that we proved you really ARE insane, what's the coupling for this fic? You posted the last chapter so fast, you forgot to mention it.

Me: Oh yeah. I knew I forgot something. Anyway, although it will practically be mentioned in this chapter, the main coupling for this fic is Otto/Twister, which is also practically the only slash coupling that exists for this show. I certainly wouldn't mind reading fics for other couplings or just more slash fics in general for this show.

Izzy: ::Cringes:: Let's just start before I lose it.

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Last time on The Runaway…

(To the tune of "Escape from the City" [the music for Sonic's City Escape stage in Sonic Adventure 2])

Izzy: Greetings. I'm Izzy. What's my last name, you ask? Well, I'd rather not say for security reasons. Yeah... Anyway, I had just walked into a city called Ocean Shores. After exploring it for a bit, I got hungry. I went to a pier, which seemed to have a lot of stuff for fun. I didn't really care about that at the moment, so I tried to find a place to eat. While walking, I almost got ran over by this guy on a skateboard. After finding a place to eat, the Shore Shack, I left, but I crashed into another boarder. After apologies were dealt with, I was introduced to Otto and some of his friends and family. I left the pier.

It was then that I exercised a special ability of mine; the ability to run at near supersonic speeds. No, I'm not a hedgehog, though I've played as one, thanks to my creator. You can be rest assured that I have many more abilities, but that's for another time. I sped around town so fast that all anybody can see is a mere blur, if anything. I soon stopped at a very relaxing spot. I can't understand it, but I feel that my destiny may be intertwined with these people while I'm staying here.

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The Runaway Ch. 2: The Challenge

After having dinner and making one more dash through town, Izzy set out to find a place to stay. He couldn't possibly stay at a hotel because he had very little money on him. So, he started looking for a suitable place to camp out. He thought he should try the beach, but it's way too cold at night. Besides, they don't allow camping on the beach. He then went to the local park.

'_Perfect._' He thought as he walked through the park. He long since took off his sunglasses and put them on his hat. He walked through the illuminated park for about an hour before finding the right spot to set up camp. It was by a fountain, protected by trees for privacy.

Izzy put his bag down and took out a box, which contained his tent and the means to put it up. He took out a hammer and a small electric lantern. He turned on the lantern and got to work. After about twenty minutes, he had everything set up. He crawled in the tent, took off his cape & went to sleep.

Elsewhere…

"_In news of a somewhat lighter sort, earlier today, local skateboarder, surfer, hockey player, etc, etc, Otto Rocket and co. had a run in with what eyewitnesses say was a tall kid, about six feet tall, wearing a cape._" The TV said, displaying pictures of this afternoon's happening. Ray was oblivious to the news report for he was snoozing. Eight hours of standing behind a surfboard made out to be a counter will do that to you.

"Man, they must be getting desperate for a story." Otto muttered rather darkly. He was getting a snack out of the fridge when he heard the story. Normally, he'd be psyched to be mentioned on the news, but he had other things on his mind. He started to walk into the living room to change the channel when the camera went back to the anchorman, who was just handed a paper.

"_This just in, earlier today, people claimed to see a blur streaking past every single street and avenue of the city._" The camera went to a recording of the caped boy running. Of course, the camera couldn't get a clear visual of the runner. "_Our helicopter got these shots in. As you can see, the blur was a mixture of black, gray, and blue. We have a scientist, whose name isn't all that important, to tell us his theory._" The camera switched to an old man wearing a white lab coat. Otto, intrigued by the development, sat down and watched.

"_Ahem. Thank you. As you just saw, the 'blur' covered every section of Ocean Shores from the pier all the way to the residential areas. Nothing can possibly move that fast to create this distortion of light._" The TV then displayed the recording again. "_The blur started to disappear slightly, so I believe that the cause of this is the northern lights!_"

"What a quack." Otto said to himself. "Something had to have been moving that fast 'cause the blur went to The Point." He noticed that at the last second of the recording, whatever caused the blur did indeed leave town along the beach.

The anchorman raised an eyebrow at the professor. "_Northern lights, huh?_"

The scientist gave a grin. "_Yep!_"

"_Get out of here!_" The anchorman yelled as he kicked the old guy off camera. "_Senile old coot._" He muttered before remembering that he was still on the air.

"_Err… Anyway! In baseball, the Angels…_" Otto could care less about sports at the moment. He finished off the sandwich he made and started going upstairs to sleep.

"Hey Raymundo, you going to your room or what?" In response to that question, Ray just muttered something Otto wasn't sure he wanted to understand. Shrugging, he continued climbing the stairs.

'_Man.__ Working truly sucks sometimes._'

Otto works at the Shack as their only delivery boy. Today was his first day doing the summer job. Using his boarding skills, he can get to any house in Ocean Shores within a half hour. He hoped to earn enough money to buy a used car. He already got his license. Anyway, only one order came in today and because he was so excited, he almost crashed into the shoobie in the cape and didn't even stop to apologize. Of course, his best bro, Twister, crashed into the new guy a little bit after that.

'_Twister…_' Otto stopped just as he reached the door to his bedroom. '_For some reason, I've been thinking about him a lot lately. What's the deal?_' He entered the room. He had outgrown the car bed he had and got a traditional twin-sized bed. He went to sleep.

The next day…

Izzy groggily crawled out of his tent.

"Ugh. I've been having that tent for too long!" He grumbled as he did some stretching exercises. After stretching his legs, he walked to the fountain, scooped up some water, and wet his sweating face.

'_It's only morning and already it's sweltering! I gotta get some new clothes or I'll sweat like a dog._' He thought as he sighed. '_But I have to conserve my cash._' He went into the tent and grabbed his cape, hat, and sunglasses.

"Hey! Wouldn't the cape make me even worse off than I already am!?" He asked as he put said items on.

(Me: Technically, yeah, but it makes you look cool.)

"I'm aware of that, but I'm burning!"

(Me: Ugh. Look, I'll give you some surfer clothes later. Ok?)

"o.O;;;; Do I even want to wear surfer clothes?"

(Me: -- First off, no sweatdropping! We're not doing an animé or game fic. This is a fic for an American cartoon. If we were doing a Teen Titans fic, and God help me if we were, it would be different.)

"I'm sweating right now anyway. I can't exactly help it." Izzy paused. "And I thought you liked Teen Titans."

(Me: Of course I do. It's just that I can never see myself writing a fic for it.)

"If I remember correctly, you never pictured yourself writing a slash fic either and look at where we are."

(Me: -- Shut up. And about your earlier question, you can wear either surfer clothes or skater clothes. You pick.)

"Eh. How would I look in either?"

(Me: Would you still have the cape?)

"I guess so, yeah."

(Me: Then you'd look good!)

"Ok." Izzy got in a thinking pose. "...So what do ya wanna talk about?"

(Me: Ehh... I don't know. What do you—OO GET BACK TO THE FIC!!!)

"Sheesh! Alright! No need to yell like that!" Izzy got back into character. "I guess I better get some breakfast. I wonder if this town has good croissants." He then left the park.

Elsewhere…

Otto was leaving his house to go to the Shack and help out a little bit before deliveries had to be made (Deliveries start at eleven). He seemed to be deeply disturbed about something.

'_That dream was sooo weird!_' He thought. '_It was just me and Twister in my room. Then he just walked up to me and…_' He shook his head. '_I just don't want to think about it._'

"Hey Ottoman!" He heard Twister shout. Otto turned and saw his best bro leave his house and walk up to him.

"Hey Twist. What's up?" Otto asked, feeling somewhat odd around his best friend.

"You wanna hang out later?" Twister asked, not knowing of his friend's predicament.

"Uhhh…sure. I should have plenty of time to surf or something after work." Otto replied sheepishly.

"Cool. See ya later." Twister went back into his house. Otto let out a sigh of relief and got on his board. He was going to leave, but Sam called for him. The portly teenager walked to him.

"Hey Squid."

"Hey Otto. Is Reggie up yet?" Sam asked.

"Yeah. She's having breakfast. I'm about to leave." Otto replied.

"I believe I already know the answer to this, but did you see the news last night?" Otto gave Sam an exasperated look.

"I caught a little bit of the story about us and the story about that weird blur." Sam got a shocked expression, but then regained a normal face.

"What do you think caused that blur?"

"I don't know, but it definitely wasn't the northern lights. That scientist was a real crackpot. Anyway, I'm gonna be late, so see ya." Otto made his way to the pier, hardly listening to Sammy's good bye.

'_It's odd, but I liked that dream._' Otto thought as he rolled down the hill. '_I must be losing it or something._' Pushing the thought to the back of his head, he continued on.

Back with Izzy...

"Ya know, this fic revolves around more than just Otto & I." Izzy said as he walked along the boardwalk.

(Me: Stop complaining and get back to the fic. I don't pay ya to whine.)

"I hate to be using a clichéd line, but you don't pay me to do anything!"

(Me: This is true, so deal with it!)

"::Sighs:: Fine." As I was saying, Izzy was walking along the boardwalk with his arms crossed. He was in deep thought.

'_I don't get it. What's with this feeling I've been getting since last night?_' He stopped on the right side of the pier's entrance sign and looked at the ocean. '_Something big is going to happen and it's going to affect everybody in this city. I just know it. The question is WHAT is going to happen and when?_' With a sigh, he walked under the sign, making sure to watch for any skaters. Seeing that it was safe, he continued moving.

'_Whatever happens though, I'll stand my ground if I need to._' He walked past the Shack and walked to the bottom of the nearby ramp. He continued to look at the waves, feeling the cool ocean breeze.

'_I realize that this is a tad early, but I should be planning on how I'm supposed to get out of here._' Izzy took in a sharp breath. '_With my speed, I can cross the ocean on foot to Hawaii, but it could take a long time, plus if I tire out, I'll sink._' He wiped some sweat from his brow as some random skater wiped out in front of him. He paid no notice.

'_I can always take a cruise or a flight, but that costs way too much money. I can also run to Canada or Mexico._' A close distance away, Otto left the shack to make a delivery. '_Nah. Canada is way too cold and Mexico is probably blazing compared to here. Besides, Mexican food gives me gas._'

(A/N: No offense meant to anybody in that last line.)

'_Heh. Guess I better think of something to do. There's no way I'm gonna spend this whole day cooking._' Izzy started to pace around in thought.

(Me: Well, _that's_ a boring way to end a thought pattern. How about we go back to Otto?)

Back with the other guy…

'_Ok. Let me get this straight. I felt that the dream was incredibly weird and yet I LIKED it?!_' Otto thought as he skated through town with a bag full of burgers. '_That ain't right. You don't just dream about your best friend, especially if he's a GUY!_' He turned left and went up a hill.

'_Still, it was kinda cool. Ugh! If only there was somebody to talk to about this!_' He turned left and stopped at the first house on his right. He walked up to the house and rang the bell. A few moments later, a burly guy in a red jacket, black pants, and black boots opened the door. Otto noticed that this guy had no hair and the biggest mustache he ever seen! He handed the guy the food and he was given the money with a $2 tip. Otto then started walking with a somewhat stunned expression.

'_Was that… Egg—_'

(Me: Don't even think about finishing that thought.)

"Ok... But why him?"

(Me: Heh. I wanted him to do a cameo. Now continue.)

"Whatever." Otto sighed as he got on his board and went back to the Shack.

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Izzy yawned. He was now leaning against a wall.

'_I'm bored! There's nothing to do here and I'm losing my mind!_' He thought.

(Me: So find something to do.)

'_What do ya suggest? And don't say surfing or skating!_'

(Me: Like you know how to do either. Anyway, aren't ya supposed to be looking for a job?)

'_Yeah…but I would like to have some fun before I deal with that. By the way, since when was I psychic?_'

(Me: You're not, but I am.)

'_Fine. Let me get back to the fic._' Izzy took out his picture and just felt content with looking at it for a few seconds.

'_Mom, Dad. I miss you both so much. Don't worry, I'll avenge you soon._' He put the picture away and he walked a short distance towards the skate park, Mad Town. He stood outside the fence and just watched the boarders and bladers do their stuff.

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"What was up with Otto this morning?" Twister asked. He was skating on roller blades with Sam & Reggie.

"Beats me. He's been real thoughtful lately." Reggie replied.

"Yeah. And when I talked to him this morning, he said he watched the news!" Sam yelled. That caused everyone to stop.

"Yeah right!" Twister laughed.

"Get real, Squid!" Reggie laughed as well.

"Like I said, his word, not mine." Sam said. "He said he saw that story about us and that report on the blur from yesterday."

"Story about us? You mean what happened with that shoobie?" Twister asked. Sam nodded.

"They sure are getting desperate for a story." Reggie commented.

"Yeah. I think that whole deal with the blur was the most exciting thing to happen to Ocean Shores since the Beach Break." Sam said.

"Ugh. Don't remind me." Reggie & Twister said at the same time. They said nothing after that and continued skating towards the pier.

'_Otto, what's wrong with you?_' Twister thought with concern.

-----------------------------

'_I never thought this whole skating thing can get old after such a short time._' Izzy thought dully. His arms were drooped over the fence and his expression was that of sheer boredom. '_I mean, you see one 360 ollie with a twist, you've seen them all!_' With that, he stood up and walked up the ramp. He was about to leave the pier when he noticed a poster on the wall by the entrance to the Shack. He looked at it and read.

"'Assistant delivery boy wanted. Please inquire within.'" He got a grin on his face when he read that. "I think I've found a job." Izzy walked inside the Shack. Strangely, it was pretty busy compared to yesterday. He walked up to the register and waited for someone to talk to.

"What can I do for you?" He looked at the man who addressed him. It was the big guy wearing the Hawaiian shirt from yesterday.

"Hi. I would like to apply for the delivery boy position." Izzy replied.

"Aren't you the kid from yesterday?"

"Yeah." Izzy nodded. "Your name is Tito, I believe."

"Right. Anyway, I gotta get Raymundo. Be right back." With that, Tito went into the back room. "Hey Ray, someone's here to apply for the job."

"Oh? Who is it?" Ray asked.

"It's that kid from yesterday." Tito replied. Ray shot him a confused look, but glanced into the main room. He saw the caped kid waiting at the counter.

"Man. I was hoping somebody like Twister would take the position." Ray started sadly. "Otto's been weirding out on everybody lately. He could use somebody to talk to." He sighed.

"This might work out." Tito reassured. "The kid may be a shoobie, but maybe he can get to the root of Otto's problem." Ray sighed again.

"I hope you're right." Ray walked out of the back room. He walked up to Izzy. "Hi. I've been told you want the assistant delivery boy job."

"Yeah. What do I have to do to apply?" Izzy asked.

"Just answer a few questions."

"Ok. Shoot. I got nothing to hide." Izzy waved a dismissive hand. Ray thought for a moment.

"Full name?"

"Izzy Lopez."

"Lopez? Are you by any chance related to—"

"No." Izzy interrupted. "If I was, would I even be here?"

"Good point." Ray said before continuing. "Age?"

"Seventeen."

'_Same as Otto. Perfect._' Ray thought. "Uhh... Mode of transport?"

"Come again?" Izzy asked.

"You know. How you plan to get from here to customers." Ray replied.

"Oh. Ummm…" Izzy started.

'_Think Izzy! How can you do this without saying that you can run at the speed of sound!?_' He thought.

"I can run pretty fast. I do track & field, so I guess that's what I'll do." He gave a sheepish grin.

"How much can you hold while running?" Ray asked.

'_Damn. Good question. I've never run while holding something before._' Izzy thought.

"I think I can hold about ten—maybe fifteen—pounds while maintaining a steady speed." He put a thumb to his chin to think if that's at least partially true. "Uhhh...what are the hours like?" He asked before Ray can ask another question.

"You come here at eleven and work until closing time, which is at seven." Ray replied.

(A/N: I have no idea what time the Shack closes or opens. Just go with it.)

"Ok. And the pay?"

"You get $5 per hour, plus tips."

"Ok. That sounds good."

-----------------------------

Otto was on his way back to the Shack. It was now sunset.

'_Finally! All I gotta do is give Raymundo today's earnings and I can chill out!_' He thought with excitement as he crossed the pier. '_Best of all, I haven't even been thinking about Twister in the last few hours._' He kept silent for a moment.

'_Well, so much for that._' He gave a light chuckle. He got to the Shack in time to see Raymundo & Izzy shaking hands. Otto walked up to them.

"Hey Otto, Izzy here is going to be our new assistant delivery boy." Ray said. Izzy waved hello at Otto, who was suddenly seeing red. He was supposed to be the only delivery boy! He would've been able, barely, to get enough money for a car at the end of the summer, but now that dream was ruined. Shattered by a…by a...**SHOOBIE!**

"Dad! When did you open the position?!" Otto yelled. Everybody in the restaurant got quiet and watched the scene.

"O-Otto..." Ray started, his face showing full on shock, as was Izzy's. "I only wanted—"

"Wanted what?! I don't know _or_ care what you wanted! Now answer the question! When did you offer the position?!" Otto was seething now. His blood boiled.

"About an hour ago." Ray replied. Izzy, suddenly nervous, decided to take his leave.

"I should go. I guess I'll come around here tomorrow." He then walked carefully past Otto.

"Oh sure, shoobie. Go ahead and leave." Otto said icily. Izzy was about to walk out when he heard the insult. Chills went up his spine. He turned around.

"That word..." He said as he walked back to Otto. He took off his sunglasses and glared at the boarder.

-----------------------------

"Otto should be done working for today." Twister said with excitement. He didn't have much time to hang out with his best bro in a long while.

"Yeah. Maybe he'll lighten up." Reggie agreed.

"I wonder what's going on." Sam said as he looked ahead. The group saw a huge amount of people standing outside the Shack. They were looking inside.

"Let's check it out." Reggie said. The three skated up to the Shack and squeezed past the mob. They saw Otto and Izzy glaring at each other. They were in fighting poses and looked ready to attack.

"I don't know what that word means, but I'm sick of being called that." Izzy said, trying to remain calm. "Besides, what's your deal, anyway?"

"My deal?" Otto asked. "My deal is that my job is going to be taken by some shoobie!"

"Otto." Ray said. "He's going to be an ASSISTANT delivery boy. You would still make more money than he will." Otto wouldn't hear of it though.

"So tell me, how do ya plan on getting to each order? Have your dad drive you?" He teased. Izzy felt tears coming to his eyes, but suppressed them. He only glared harder.

"I'll run to each destination. It's better than using some toy." He got a smirk on his face when he saw Otto's expression.

"_Toy?_ Listen here, I'm the fastest boarder in Ocean Shores." Otto came back with bravado. Izzy stood straight up and crossed his arms.

"Heh. That proves nothing. Running is where real physical strength is. If you depend on a lousy skateboard for speed, it only shows your laziness."

"I bet you'd like to prove that." Otto said with a sneer.

"What are you proposing?" Izzy asked, though a thought came to mind.

"We'll race and see which way is faster." Otto replied. Izzy suppressed the urge to smirk. "If you win, you can be the assistant delivery boy."

"And if you win?" Izzy asked. Otto put on a smirk of his own.

"You mean WHEN I win, you don't become the assistant delivery boy and you can't get a job here."

"Otto!" Ray tried to intervene, but Izzy interrupted.

"I accept the terms. Where and when will we race?"

"Come here at Noon tomorrow. The course will be figured out then." Otto held out a hand. Izzy took out one of his own and the two tried to out squeeze the other. They let go and Izzy walked out. The people cleared a path and he walked alone into the night. Reggie, Sam, and Twister ran up to Otto as the mob disappeared.

"What was that all about?" Reggie asked.

"Your brother just challenged our new employee to a race." Ray replied.

"He's not an employee. I'll make sure of that." Otto said with spite as he got up.

"Otto…" Twister muttered worriedly.

"I'm going home!" Otto said and he skated out of the Shack.

With Izzy…

After a light run, Izzy was standing on top of a wall with his arms by his side. He was looking up at the full moon.

'_I can't believe he said that about Dad._' He thought, thinking back to the confrontation. '_That kid… He seemed to be thinking about something. Even in the heat of the argument, there was something important on his mind._' He shook his head.

'_No matter.__ Tomorrow, I'll put him in his place and show him not to call me a shoo—whatever he said!_' He jumped off the wall & ran off.

Throughout the course of the night, Otto trained on his personal half pipe. He didn't want to listen to anybody that tried to get close to him; not even Twister.

'_He called all skaters lazy. That includes Twister! I'll show him. I'll show him that skateboarding is much faster than running!_' He roared in his mind as he did a few tricks.

(Twister: Hey, if Otto's gonna be in a race, shouldn't he be skating in the streets?

Me: Where'd _you_ come from!? Anyway, you expect him to skate through town at night?)

Elsewhere, Izzy was just sleeping. Trying to get comfortable in his small tent. Yep. Not much going on there.

As for all other parties involved, they were just worried. Worried about what would happen to the innocent kid who just wanted a job & got dragged into this and worried about their good friend/brother/son who was already going berserk about something. He'd probably be even worse if he were to lose this race.

-----------------------------

A/N:

Izzy: ::Rocking back and forth:: The boss is in control. He'd never do something like this.

Me: oO Get over it, will ya!?

Izzy: ::Stops rocking:: Another thing, what's Ivo doing in this dimension?

Me: In order for you to keep your super speed, I have to take elements from the Sonic dimension. I told you that a while ago.

Izzy: But Robotnik?!

Me: o.O I thought you liked him.

Izzy: I do, but what about Shadow?

Me: God, you're picky! Anyway, will Otto beat Izzy or will Izzy prove to the world that skaters are lazy? Find out in the next chapter!


	3. The Race

Izzy: I got a question for ya, Boss.

Me: What is it, Izzy? We gotta get started.

Izzy: You know how in yaoi fics for Digimon and some other fandoms, they name the couplings somehow?

Me: Yea. What about it?

Izzy: Well, what would ya name our feature coupling for this fic?

Me: Ahhh… An excellent question. For those of you who don't know what we're talking about, in animé and game fandoms, most authors name the couplings based on the first part of the dominant person's name and the last part of the subdominant person's name. This is usually done to shorten summaries (at least I think so, anyway). One such example takes place in the Digimon fandom. The coupling Taito combines the first part of the name Taichi (Tai) with the last part of the name Yamato (Matt). This shows that Tai will be the dominant guy in the relationship. Likewise, the coupling Yamachi means that Matt is the dominant guy. Of course, this also works for straight couplings.

Izzy: Now back to my question.

Me: Oh, right. I'm not sure who's gonna wind up being dominant or not, despite the fact I had this fic written nearly a year in advance. In any case, if Otto was to wind up being dominant, the coupling would be called "Otter." This combines the first three letters of Otto's name with the last two letters of Twister's name.

Izzy: And if Twister were to be dominant?

Me: The coupling would be called "Twisto." It combines the first five letters of Twister's name with the last letter of Otto's name.

Izzy: And what about the other couplings people like to write for this fandom?

Me: Later. Now then, before I start this chapter, I need to address something. For the rest of the fic, there may be some inconsistencies as far as the geography of Ocean Shores is concerned. This also applies to the structure of characters' houses. Just apologizing in advance if something doesn't look right. Also, #this text# = Song lyrics.

--------------------------------

Last time on The Runaway…

(To the tune of  "It Doesn't Matter" [Sonic's theme in Sonic Adventure 2])

Otto: Hey dudes! Otto Rocket here! I guess I'm doing the summary this time, huh? Ok. Here goes. The night after dealing with that shoobie, I was getting some grindage when I saw a story on the news about this blur that was moving all over Ocean Shores. This crazy scientist said that the blur was caused by the northern lights. Of course, the old guy proved to be nuts. I then went to bed, but for some reason, I had the craziest dream! It involved me & my best bro Twister and he…and then we… Argh! It's way too confusing! Needless to say, I was messed up all during the next day.

While that dream was confusing me, Izzy was in deep thought about one thing or another. It didn't really matter to me though. What _did_ matter though was when I was coming back from making the last delivery of the day. He and Raymundo were shaking hands. My dad said that he is the new assistant delivery boy. To say I was mad was a huge understatement! I was full on pissed! After insults were dealt, including what that shoobie said about skaters being lazy, I challenged him to a race. I don't know, but did I make a mistake challenging him?

--------------------------------

The Runaway Ch. 3: The Race

To the east, the sun rose, breaking the darkness that once gripped the city. As it illuminated the landscape, a lone figure was revealed standing. The caped boy was watching the ocean slowly start to glimmer in the morning sun. He gave a grin as he donned his sunglasses.

"Dawn." Izzy felt a strong gust blow past him. "In six hours, I'll shut that skater boy up." He gave a yawn. "But until then..."

::Thud!::

He landed on the soft grass and started snoring.

(Me: Ugh! A perfectly good scene ruined by bad sleeping habits! Let's move on.)

A few hours later…

Otto woke up with a start. Despite having yet another weird dream involving his life-long bud, he looked ready to skate a mile. He grabbed his usual clothes and bounded down the stairs, jumping at the last two steps. He walked into the kitchen, a confident smirk evident on his face. He gave his sister & dad a cheerful good morning.

'_That's the Otto I haven't seen in a long time._' Ray thought with a smile as he poured himself a cup of coffee.

"_You're_ in a good mood." Reggie pointed out.

"You bet I am! I'm totally psyched about this race!" Otto said proudly. "And I'm gonna show that shoobie what skaters are made out of." He grabbed a cup and poured orange juice in it.

'_I guess this whole race deal is doing a lot more for Otto than the job idea, but still… What about that other kid?_' Ray thought. '_Maybe I should stop the race._'

Elsewhere, two hours later…

"::Yawn:: I shouldn't have done that scene." Izzy said as he walked along the street towards the pier. "I'm about to be in a race & even though I'm confident about my victory, I shouldn't have gotten up at six AM!"

(Me: It's called "building the mood" and you messed it up by falling asleep like that!)

"Are you sure that was building the mood? Besides, I still could've done a decent scene if I got up at a later time."

(Me: Maybe. I don't know. Doing that scene at dawn looked like it made some sense. It put a little oomph into the story.)

"Whatever. At least I can listen to some music while waiting." Izzy took out a blue CD player from his pocket. "o.O Uhh…since when did I have this?"

(Me: Since the beginning of the fic.)

" Oh that's _real_ nice! I could've used this in the last chapter, ya know!"

(Me: Heh. Wanted you to suffer?)

"--" was all that Izzy had to offer in response as he continued on, pocketing the CD player as well. He noticed that a lot of people were assembling on the pier. They seemed to be on either side of it, as if welcoming a king to his city. He looked to his left and noticed people standing on the sidewalk along the hill. He pushed past the crowd, walked down the vacant area, and stopped in front of the Shack. He saw no one around. His opponent or anybody with any kind of relation to him wasn't anywhere to be found.

"Where is he?" Izzy asked himself as he leaned against the wall with his hat hiding his eyes from sight. He stayed that way for a few minutes before hearing footsteps against the concrete. He looked up and saw Ray & Tito approach.

"Good morning." All three of them said to each other.

"So where is he?" The caped boy asked.

--------------------------------

"Uhhh... Otto?" Reggie said as she walked up to her brother, who was performing last-minute maintenance on his board.

"Yeah? What's up, Reg?" Otto asked.

"Uhh... Are you sure you want to do this race?" She started.

'_I can't believe Dad expects me to talk him out of this!_' She thought. Otto raised an eyebrow.

"Sure I do. Why you ask?"

"Uhhh... Well for one thing, it's supposed to rain." She tried with little success.

"What are you talking about? Sam told me the weather is fine today."

"Well, you know how wrong those weathermen can be." Otto got a thoughtful look.

"If it's going to rain, then I have to..."

"Yes...?" Reggie asked hopefully.

"Get to the pier fast! Thanks Reg!" Otto yelled as he left the house.

"No! Otto!" Too late. He already slammed the door. "Damn." Reggie slapped her forehead.

--------------------------------

"You want me to WHAT!?!" Izzy yelled.

"Drop out of the race." Ray repeated. Izzy just laughed at the suggestion.

"What on Earth makes you think I would quit this?!" He stopped laughing long enough to ask that.

"Well about Otto... He's kinda a sore loser."

"o.O You're counting out your own son? Dude..."

"That's not what I meant!" Ray yelled. "I mean that if you were to win, he would take it pretty badly." Izzy got a grin on his face after hearing that.

"So you want me to drop out?" Ray nodded. "What's in it for me?"

"I'll give you the job anyway."

"Wouldn't Otto be kind of, well, upset about your decision?" Izzy started. "He would be even more so if he were to find out his own father didn't want him to race." He started to do some stretching exercises.

"He'll get over it." Ray offered.

"Just as he'll get over losing." Izzy countered as he stretched his arms.

"And what about you? If you lose, you can't get the job here, remember?"

"But we don't know that for sure, do we?" Izzy started reaching for his toes. "Besides, it wouldn't be right to just give up and get the job anyway. That's no fun." They then heard two skateboards rolling along the pavement. "Ah... There's my opponent now." He stood up and walked ahead.

"I guess Reggie couldn't stop him." Tito said.

"So you were trying to get both of us to quit, huh?" Izzy asked as he walked past Ray.

"Yeah... Please reconsider. He'll beat you." Ray replied. Izzy just stopped. He seemed to be in thought. He looked over his shoulder at the older man.

"I'm going to win." He simply stated as he walked up to Otto & Twister.

"Hey! Ready to lose?" Otto teased. Izzy just rolled his eyes, although no one was able to see that past his sunglasses.

"Whatever. I'm just here to race. What's the course like?" A referee stepped up to them.

"Hello. I'll be the judge of this race. Here are the rules: The first one to get to the cul-de-sac and back wins." The ref pointed at the cul-de-sac where Otto's house is. The course was basically a straightaway made up of three small hills, which ended in a climb up a bigger hill, ending at the cul-de-sac.

"The race starts from here." The ref continued as a worker laid down a strip of white tape, signifying the starting line. "When I give the signal, the racers will run/skate from here, leave the pier, go up the three hills, and then climb up the final hill and into the cul-de-sac. There, the racers will take a fifteen-minute break before continuing the race by going down the hill. We'll be starting in a few, so prepare." The ref left them.

"How did you set all this up!?" Izzy asked with amazement.

"I got connections." Otto replied. Izzy gave a snort to that one. He turned to Twister.

"And what's with the camera?" He pointed at the video camera Twister was holding.

"I gotta tape the O-man racing. I also wanna see the look on your face when Otto creams ya!" Twister laughed, much to Izzy's displeasure. Otto was blushing, but quickly hid it.

"Thanks man."

"Uhhh… Not to ruin your so-called 'bragging,' but how are you supposed to tape us? I don't think you can keep up with us." Izzy said as he crossed his arms.

"What do ya mean!?" Twister demanded. Izzy kept a calm expression.

"If I remember correctly, Otto said he was the fastest boarder in Ocean Shores. How do ya plan on keeping up with us when we'll be going real fast while concentrating on your camera?" Twister got a defeated expression.

"Damn… Good point…" He admitted.

"Don't you have a zoom feature?" Otto asked. Twister picked up his head.

"Hey yeah! I'll still be able to tape ya! Now what, huh?!" He directed those last words at Izzy, who merely shrugged.

"How much longer is this gonna take?" He asked, changing the subject.

"I guess people are still coming to watch." Otto replied. Just then, the ref came up to them.

"We're almost ready. It'll be about two more minutes." He said.

"Finally." Izzy said as he started to stretch again. After an extra few minutes of preparation, everybody took their positions. Otto and Izzy walked to the starting line. The auburn haired teenager was on the left and the dark haired one was on the right.

"Is there anything you want to say to each other before we start this?" The ref asked.

"Yes, actually." Izzy said, facing Otto. "I would like to give you a gift."

"Isn't it a little late to be kissing up?" Otto replied, generating a laugh from Twister. Izzy glared at him before turning to Otto.

"Very funny. I'm going to be generous and give you a head start."

"A head start? Why?" Otto asked.

"Like I said, I'm feeling generous, so I've decided to give you a chance." Izzy replied. He glanced at Ray, who seemed happy about the boy's decision. He then held up his left pointing finger. "One minute. That's as long as you get before I begin the race. Use it wisely." With that, he stretched while waiting for Otto to begin his skating.

(A/N: He likes to stretch a lot, huh?)

'_He's more cocky than me._' Otto thought as he looked ahead.

"Is that your final decision?" The ref asked Izzy.

"Yeah." He nodded.

"Very well. Otto will go first. We'll let you know when a minute has passed." The ref said as he got back into position. He picked up a green flag. "On your mark…" Otto put his right foot on the board.

"Get set…" He leaned ahead as the ref raised his flag.

"GO!!!" The ref waved his flag. The crowd cheered as Otto used his left foot to kick the board ahead. He just kept kicking to increase speed. Watching him go, Izzy took out his CD player and slipped on a pair of headphones.

"I think Speed Highway will be a good song to listen to." He said as he prepared to press the play button.

"'Speed Highway?'" Twister asked with confusion.

(A/N: Speed Highway is the name of a stage in Sonic Adventure 1.)

"Your minute is up. Go!" The ref said as Otto left the pier. Izzy pressed the button and "Run Through the Speed Highway" started to play in his CD player.

Izzy started out by walking at first, but the song picked up and he almost immediately started running with his arms behind him, surprising everybody. In the middle of his sprint, he got into a jogging position and then quickly switched back to his previous position, enabling him to leave the pier in fifteen seconds! He quickly caught up to Otto, who was looking at his opponent with a look of complete shock.

'_How in the world—!?_' He thought. Izzy gave him a defiant smirk and continued running. They reached the first hill. Otto continued to kick to get up the hill as Izzy ran up in a jogging position. They soon got over the top and the raven haired boy got back into his second position and took the hill. He was now in first place. Halfway through the descent, he saw a pickup truck with a wooden plank leaning on it to his right.

'_Perfect._' He thought. He ran up to the top of the plank and jumped off.

#Up and down and all around#

Izzy spun in the air a couple of times before landing on the left side of the street and continuing on, running backwards.

#Up and down and all around#

He got a little further when Otto rolled off the board too. The skater did a 360 in midair and landed on the opposite side ahead of Izzy. The caped boy looked astonished as he turned around. The two racers then ran/skated along even ground and up the second hill. Otto let his board roll up the hill a little before he started kicking up again. Izzy got into his jogging position again. He barely got ahead of Otto as he reached the top and started running at full speed again.

'_Crap! How'd he catch up so fast!?_' Izzy thought as Otto rolled past him. He picked up the pace and went past him. Otto crouched, making himself go faster. The crowd roared at the spectacle. They just fought for position for a few seconds before going along even ground again and up the third hill. Otto got halfway up the hill before kicking again while Izzy used his second position to climb up instead of jogging. The dark haired teen got ahead again and went over the top. He saw another pickup with a board on it. This time it was on his left. Like last time, Izzy ran up that one and jumped off.

#Up and down and all around#

He spun his entire body around before landing perfectly on right side of the foot of the last hill.

#Up and down and all around#

Otto used the plank to do another 360 to land alongside Izzy as the two raced up the hill.

They reached the top and went, neck & neck, across the small straightaway and across the finish line. It was a photo finish. The song ended with Izzy skidding to a stop just inches before crashing into a group of spectators. He let out a relieved sigh and walked up to Reggie & Sam, who took the photo. Otto was still catching his breath when he too walked over to the judges.

"So—::Huff::—who—::Puff::—won?" He asked between breaths.

"After carefully looking at the photo and considering certain—" Sam started.

"JUST TELL US!" The two racers yelled.

"Otto." Sam said. The crowd roared as Otto punched the air and Izzy slapped his forehead in defeat. The caped boy looked at the photo and saw that the front half of Otto's board did indeed cross the line before one of his feet.

"So Izzy, what do ya say about skaters now!?" Otto bragged. Izzy just crossed his arms and looked the other way.

"This doesn't prove anything. We still have to race back to the pier."

"Well it's going have to wait." Reggie said. "You guys get a fifteen-minute break, remember?" With that, the two competitors separated. Otto went towards a refreshment stand by his house and Izzy went towards one by the Stimpletons' house.

"I would like a glass of water please." The latter said to Mrs. Stimpleton, who was standing behind the table. She seemed to be a kind woman.

"Oh sure! Here you go." She said cheerfully, pouring some water in a plastic cup and handing it to him. Izzy gave his thanks and walked over to the beginning of the hill while taking a huge swig of the clear liquid.

'_How'd he do that?_' He thought while looking at the course. '_I thought for sure he wouldn't beat me if I went at Speed Two._' He looked over it a few times before coming to a conclusion.

'_Wait! That's why he chose this course! He struggled with going up each hill because of the skateboard. But for that same reason, he went down each hill with ease, steadily increasing his speed for the last hill. That means he'll use this hill's decline for his speed on the way back._' He gave a chuckle.

'_For a skater boy, he seems smart._' He then got a serious look on his face. '_But that doesn't mean he'll win this. It's time I let the cat out of the bag, pardon the cliché._' He walked back to his stand and got his cup refilled.

With Otto...

"Oh man. That guy just won't let up." Otto said to his friend and sister. "Thanks for suggesting this course, Squid, but he was so fast." He took a sip of his water.

"Yeah… I wonder…" Sam said as he put a hand to his chin.

"What?" The Rocket siblings asked.

"Well, this might sound crazy, but I've been thinking. What if _he's_ the one who caused the blur that appeared two days ago?" Sam said, referring to Izzy.

"What makes you say that?" Reggie asked.

"Well, for one thing, the blur was gray, black, and blue. Now look at his clothes." They all turned towards Izzy, who, for some reason, was talking to Lars.

"Gray hat." Otto said.

"Blue shirt." Reggie said.

"Black pants." Sam added.

"Black cape!" They all said.

"He may be wearing the same colors, but I don't think—" Otto started before he was interrupted by static coming from a radio Reggie had. She answered it and Twister's voice was heard from the other side.

"_Man that was an epic race! Great job, Ottoman!_" Otto got a forlorn look on him as he heard the voice.

'_Twister… You're my inspiration…_'

"_Anyway, the ref said that fifteen minutes are up! Are ya gonna finish this or what?_"

"Otto. Otto? Otto!" Reggie yelled, taking him out of his reverie.

"Wha?" Otto asked with a dazed expression.

"We're ready to do the last half of the race." Reggie pointed at Izzy, who was doing, you guessed it, stretching exercises. Otto grabbed his gear and walked to the starting line. Sam, who was waiting close by, grabbed a green flag. Everybody looked up as some gray clouds started to block the sun.

'_That's weird. I thought Sam said it was gonna be sunny today._' Otto thought.

"First one to the Shack wins." Sam said as the two racers got into position. He held up the flag. "GO!" He waved it and they were off. Izzy wasted no time in going to Speed Two. He was barely able to keep up with Otto, who, as he guessed correctly, was using the hill's decline to his advantage.

'_Heh. Time to end this._' Izzy thought as his body glowed with a white aura. He started to clench his fists.

"Special technique!" He yelled as he fully closed his fists. "Rocket Accel!" He went faster than he did on the way up. He went so fast, he resembled…a blur?! He dashed past Otto, down the hills, and into the pier in a matter of seconds. He ran past the Shack before skidding to a stop. Stunned, everybody there turned towards Izzy, who was celebrating.

"Yes! I am victorious!" He yelled as he danced around. "Oh yeah! I'm the man with da masta plan!" He gave a thumbs up to Twister's camera. "I've won, so I get my job."

"Yeah…" Ray agreed. "But what happened to Otto?"

Back on the hill, everybody was in a stunned silence.

"I…I lost?" Otto asked himself as he slowed to a stop at the bottom of the hill. He hopped off the board, never losing that shocked expression. "My inspiration didn't help me win. I couldn't prove that skaters aren't lazy." He started to walk up the hill to his house. He didn't talk to anybody that asked him questions. He just walked inside, went up to his room, and closed the door.

Outside, it started to rain.

Back at the pier, Ray, Tito, Twister, and Izzy ran inside the Shack. Everybody else left for their homes.

"Ok… I'll be there soon… Bye." Ray said as he hung up the phone. He walked over to the other three. Izzy was telling them about his win.

"…And then I used a special ability of mine, the Rocket Accel, to dash past Otto and get to the pier in like ten seconds."

"So you were toying with him in that first part of the race?" Tito asked.

"I guess you could say that." Izzy replied.

"That was Reggie." Ray said when he reached them.

"So, when's Otto going to get here?"

"Why?! So you could brag?!" Twister accused. Izzy put on an expression of shock.

"Why would you think that? I only want to wish him no hard feelings. After all, we're going to be co-workers."

"Well anyway, don't expect Otto to be coming around anytime soon." Ray said. Twister & Tito put on looks of understanding while Izzy was just plain confused.

"Why isn't he coming? He's not feeling bad about the race, is he?" Their expressions just about answered his question. He sighed. "I guess I'll just go then. If the rain stops, I'll come by tomorrow." He walked toward the exit.

"I'll drive you. It's pouring out there." Ray offered. He also wanted to know how Izzy did what he just did at the race.

"No, thanks. I got protection." Izzy replied. His body glowed with a light blue aura and he held up a finger. A blue light was glowing on the tip. "Water Shield." A clear barrier surrounded him. Everybody else looked shocked.

"W-What's that?" Tito asked.

"This is my Water Shield. It protects me from drowning and makes one hell of an umbrella. See ya." Izzy then left into the rain.

"Who is he?" Ray asked.

"Forget about that! We gotta talk Otto out of his depression!" Twister yelled with major concern. They left the Shack as well.

--------------------------------

A/N:

Me: Oh I'm evil, aren't I!?! Will Otto get out of his depression? Will we ever find out what's the deal with Izzy? Stayed tuned for the next chapter!

Izzy: By the way, what about the names for those other couplings?

Me: You're still hung up on that? Well, alright. What did ya want to know first?

Izzy: Well, how about the most popular coupling here, Twister/Reggie?

Me: Heh. I don't exactly like that one (more like I don't get it), but I believe in equality, so I'll give it a shot. If Twister was the dominant person, the coupling would be called "Twiggie."

Izzy: o.O

Me: Hey, you try being creative in a short time! And if Reggie was dominant—

Izzy: Is it possible for a girl to be dominant?

Me: Why do I suddenly think I'm gonna get flamed? Anyway, I have no idea, but the coupling would be called "Register."

Izzy: And how about Reggie/Lars?

Me: Again, a coupling I don't like or understand. ::Sighs:: If Lars was dominant, it would be called umm… "Leggie?" And if Reggie were dominant, it would be called—::Shrugs::—"Rars?"

Izzy: Weird.

Me: I know, but it's hard to combine names. Anyway, if anybody wants to use these names for their fics (I know I won't), you don't have to give me any credit. Enjoy the next chapter!


	4. Broken Dreams can lead to Shocking Revel...

Me: So Izzy, what _were_ you talking to the great Lars about in the last chapter?

Izzy: Oh, I wanted to know where he got that shirt.

Me: ::Suddenly excited:: Did he tell you!?

Izzy: ::Pouts:: No! He said it was a gift! Yeah, right! He just doesn't want other people to wear the greatest fashion statement of the century!

Me: Man, I'd give anything to have a shirt like that. Anyway, enjoy the chapter!

---------------------------

Last time on The Runaway…

(To the tune of "Unknown from M.E." [Knuckles' theme in Sonic Adventure 1])

Twister: Hiya! Twister Rodriguez here. Uhh... What am I supposed to do?

Me: Oy! ::Slaps forehead:: You're supposed to tell what happened in the last chapter from your point of view.

Twister: Oh, ok! Anyway, Otto and Izzy had a race. The shoobie in the cape gave Ottoman a minute head start. When the minute was done, he ran pretty fast while listening to some song. He quickly caught up to Otto, but my best bro wouldn't give up! He beat Izzy in the first part of the race, but in the second part, the shoobie used some weird move called "Rocket Accel" and beat Otto by turning into that blur thingy that everybody's been talking about. Otto took it pretty hard and now he's locked up in his room! Oh Otto… What's going on in that beautiful head of yours? Wait, what did I just say?!?!?!

---------------------------

The Runaway Ch. 4: Broken Dreams can lead to Shocking Revelations

"Oh man! Rain again!?" Izzy yelled as he got out of his tent. He immediately activated his Water Shield. The whole area was soaked and threatened to flood because of the heavy rain. "I hope my stuff will be alright. Guess I better find something to do." He grabbed his CD player and turned it on. He then left the park.

It's been two days since the race between Otto & Izzy. Ever since the latter used his super speed to defeat the former, it's been pouring non-stop.

'_Why won't this rain let up?_' Izzy thought as he walked to find someplace to eat breakfast. '_I'll never be able to do my job and get enough money to leave here at this rate._' After stopping at a crosswalk, he discovered he was across from the pier, where this whole thing started. He just stood there looking.

The bowls in the skate park became little pools. Nothing was moving in the amusement park. The waves washed up on a muddy beach. Everything seemed dead in the gloomy atmosphere. He turned and faced the hill where he & Otto raced. A car sped past and sprayed water at him. It just slid off his barrier. The hill seemed like a tiny river, ending at the storm duct by the crosswalk.

'_I wonder how he's doing._' He gave a sigh and continued looking for a place to eat.

At the top of the hill, things weren't going any better.

"Otto please let me in." Reggie pleaded.

"Just leave me alone." She heard Otto's voice reply through the door. She just gave up and went to the living room, where Ray was sitting.

"Still won't come out?" He asked.

"No. I wish he would just come out & be his old self again." Reggie replied, fighting back tears.

"Don't worry. He'll come around."

Since Izzy beat him, Otto has been in his room for the past two days. He wouldn't come out to eat or anything. Needless to say, everybody was worried. Otto was now lying on his bed, staring at the ceiling, letting his thoughts drift around.

'_Why did I have to lose? I wanted to shut him up for what he said._' He thought angrily as he went back to the day when he challenged the caped kid.

_"I'll run to each destination. It's better than using some toy."_ Izzy's voice rang through Otto's mind.

'_No._' Otto replied to the memory.

_"Heh. That proves nothing. Running is where real physical strength is. If you depend on a lousy skateboard for speed, it only shows your laziness."_

'_That's not true. I sure wasn't being lazy when I was racing._' He thought back to two days ago. He had beat Izzy on the way up to the cul-de-sac, but on the way down...

_"Rocket Accel!"_ Otto heard that voice yell as the memory of Izzy blazing past him and to the pier played in front of him. The memory played over a few times like a broken record.

'_He beat me. I lost & proved him right._' He rolled over and laid on his right, watching the rain hit the window like bullets. '_Sam was right. He WAS the one who caused the blur. I guess I can never skate again._' He closed his eyes, but quickly reopened them and sat up.

'_Twister! Oh man. I said he was my inspiration and I screwed up. How can I possibly face him? Better yet, why am I even thinking about him for? I don't like him that way…do I?_' He then thought back to the dream he had the night after the new guy came into the picture.

Otto's dream…

_Otto walked into his room and saw Twister sitting on his bed._

_"Hey dude. What's up?" He asked. Twister didn't say anything as he walked up to the smaller boy. They just stood there for a few seconds. Otto looked at him with a longing look. He wasn't aware, but their faces slowly got closer. They were mere inches apart. Otto can feel Twister's breath on his lips. Feeling bold, he closed the gap and their lips met in a fiery passion._

---------------------------

Otto had a smile on his face as he remembered the dream. He opened his eyes and felt his cheeks, which were burning.

'_I guess I do like him. Maybe even…love him?_' He thought as realization kicked in. '_I love my best friend, who's a guy, and I'm a guy, but I don't even know if he feels the same way as I do._' He looked down. '_I wish I knew what to do about all this._'

Outside, Izzy was walking up the hill.

'_I guess I should make peace and apologize for not telling him about my ability._' He thought. He soon reached the top and looked around the cul-de-sac. '_But I don't even know which house he lives in. Maybe this was a mistake._' He turned around and was about to go back to the park when he saw someone blocking his way.

It was Twister holding a black umbrella. He went towards his house, motioning for Izzy to follow. Hesitantly, the caped boy followed. Twister opened the door and closed his umbrella as he walked inside. Izzy went inside as well, deactivating his shield before entering. He took off his hat in respect as he walked. The house seemed to be empty. It was quiet. He followed Twister into his room. The silence was starting to get to him.

"So, what did you want to talk about?" He asked, breaking the silence. Twister didn't reply as he walked up to his TV, put a tape into his VCR, and hit the play button.

The screen displayed what seemed to be Otto at a younger age. He was surfing; going through the tubes at amazing speeds without falling off. After a few more scenes in the water, the camera went to Mad Town. Otto was taking the half pipe like a pro; doing spins, ollies, fakies, you name it. The camera then went to a snow capped mountain, but before it could show Otto snowboarding, Twister stopped the tape.

"What do you think?" He asked. His voice seemed raspy, like maybe he was crying. Izzy stared at the floor.

"I guess I shouldn't have called him lazy. I must have shattered his pride at the race." He stated solemnly.

"I'll say. Why'd you lead him on like that?" Twister asked. Izzy cringed at the sound of his voice.

"I-I just wanted the job. Otto's dad told me that he takes losing badly, but I didn't listen."

"What?" Confusion was evident in Twister's voice.

"Before the race, he came up to me and asked me to quit. I couldn't do that, even though he offered to give me the job anyway. I knew how Otto was the day before, so if I complied with his wishes, Otto would be even more upset." Twister seemed to be considering Izzy's words.

"But why do you need the job so badly?" He asked carefully. Izzy looked up. He seemed to be thinking about what to say.

"I'm a wanderer, so to speak. I need the money to travel, otherwise I'm stuck here."

"What do you mean 'so to speak?'" Twister asked. "And don't you have parents to take care of you?" The other boy shook his head.

"My parents... They're—" He couldn't finish as he choked back a sob. Twister seemed to understand. Izzy quickly recomposed himself. "I don't wish to bring you into my problems, but I need that job."

"First thing you need to do is talk to Otto." Twister said firmly. "Hopefully, he'll get back to normal and then we'll deal with that job situation." Izzy nodded.

"Yes. I was coming here to speak with him, but I didn't know which house was his." Twister walked to the window and Izzy followed.

"It's that one." He pointed straight ahead. The house he pointed at looked to be the biggest out of all the houses in the cul-de-sac. Izzy stared wide-eyed.

"Woah. I had no idea owning a simple restaurant can get you that!"

"Yeah. Raymundo gets most of his customers at this time of year." Twister said. Izzy just whistled. "Come on. Let's go talk to Otto." Twister left the room. Izzy looked confused for a moment, but got a look of determination and left as well. He arrived at the front door, where Twister was waiting. He was about to go out with his umbrella.

"Wait a sec." Izzy said as he walked forward. His body glowed with the same aura from two days ago. He held out his arm and a clear tunnel encased both Twister and Otto's houses. He walked down the stairs and looked back at Twister.

"You coming or what?" The other boy shook the surprise out of his head and came down.

"Woah. What was that about?" Twister asked. Izzy gave him a smirk.

"I can make my shields and barriers any size I want. This is more convenient, don't you agree?"

"Yeah..." Twister replied as he looked at the rain. It bounced off what seemed to be a wall of light. They walked in silence for a few minutes before he spoke up.

"What are you, some kind of alien?" Izzy gave a light chuckle.

"No." was his only reply. They soon crossed the Rockets' front porch. Izzy's tunnel shrunk so that it only protected the two of them. Twister rung the bell. In a few moments, the door opened to reveal Reggie, who had a look of shock on her.

"Twister…and Izzy?"

"Uhh…hi." Izzy said nervously. Twister nudged him with his elbow. The caped boy bowed. "I would like to apologize for my misconduct at the race. Is there any way I can speak to Otto?" Reggie got a slightly weirded out expression, but bounced back.

"Sure you can, if you can get him to talk that is."

"Why's that?"

"He's been locked up in his room since the race." Twister answered. Izzy felt even more guilty.

"Well, you can try, but I'm not making any promises." Reggie said as she cleared the way. Twister went inside, followed by Izzy, who made his shield disappear. The caped kid got a look at the decor. Pictures of surfers, the Rockets, and surfboards; even a shark's jaw seemed to decorate this house. He and Twister were led up the stairs. They stopped at a door and Reggie knocked on it.

"Otto, there's someone here to see you."

"Tell him to come later!" Otto yelled. Reggie gave Izzy a glance and she moved, allowing him to move towards the door.

'_Damn! I'd be able to unlock this if I had my—_' He thought as he looked at the door knob. He shook his head and got back to the task at hand.

"Otto, it's me, Izzy." He paused before continuing. "I want to apologize for what happened at the race. I should've told you about my speed beforehand."

"Like he'd believe you." Reggie snorted. Twister glared at her. Izzy continued.

"I also shouldn't have said that all boarders are lazy. You can't possibly be lazy if you can race the way you did, as well as surf and snowboard." He paused again, as if waiting for a response. Not getting one, he continued. "You also proved your intelligence by figuring out the course."

"Actually, that was Sammy." Reggie interrupted.

"Oh." Izzy said. He turned back to the door. "Anyway, that's all I have to say. I was hoping that we could bury the hatchet and be co-workers. We don't even have to talk to each other if you like. At least come out. Everybody misses you."

'_Man did that sound cheesy or what?!_' He thought.

"Yeah. Please, Otto." Reggie said.

"Come on, Ottoman." Twister added. At his voice, the door opened and out stepped Otto. The other three teens gasped. His eyes were tear-ridden and he looked thinner than ever. He was also really pale.

"Twister…I…" He fainted.

"Otto!" The others yelled. They held him up.

"Dad! Call an ambulance!" Reggie yelled. Twister & Izzy each put an arm around Otto and picked him up. They carefully guided him downstairs to the couch while Ray was on the phone calling 911. Shortly after, the ambulance arrived. Two paramedics assessed the situation and put Otto on a stretcher. To assist them, and to prevent Otto from getting any worse, Twister got Izzy to surround the three in a Water Shield, protecting them from the rain. Everybody, including Sam (who was notified of the situation), got in Ray's car and drove down to the hospital.

At the hospital…

While Ray took care of the paperwork, the four teens were huddled around Otto's hospital bed. The auburn haired skater was in his bed clothes resting peacefully.

"Oh man. I don't believe this happened..." Twister said sorrowfully. The others nodded.

"I hope he'll be alright." Sam said.

"Hang in there, Otto." Reggie added. Izzy kept quiet. He didn't want to draw attention to himself. After all, it was his fault that Otto arrived in this position. Sensing his inner pain, Twister turned to him.

"Don't worry about it. I'm sure he'll forgive you." Izzy gave a small smile in response, but he still looked sorrowful. Twister knew that he must be thinking about his parents. He decided not to pursue the subject further. Ray then came in, followed by a doctor.

"What seems to be the problem?" The doctor asked. They explained the situation. The doctor nodded. "It seems that this young man suffered from malnutrition caused by severe depression. We'll pump some food in him. He should be fine in the morning."

"Thanks doc." Ray said. The doctor left the room to look at his other patients. Everybody looked at Otto for a few moments before he started to stir. He slowly opened his eyes and waited for them to adjust to the light.

"Ugh…Where am I?" were the first words out of his mouth. Everybody breathed a sigh of relief.

"You're in the hospital." Ray answered.

"Oh yeah…" Otto said, remembering when he fainted. "Where's Izzy?"

"Right here." The boy in question said as he walked up to Otto's bedside. "I'm sorry about what happened. If I knew this was going to happen—" He was silenced as Otto held up his hand. Izzy looked at it for a few seconds before taking it and shaking it carefully.

"Apology accepted." Otto said. Outside, the rays of the sun broke through and illuminated the land once again.

---------------------------

A/N:

Izzy: OO That was…

Me: Yes…?

Izzy: The corniest ending to a chapter you've ever done!

Me: -- Anyway, stay tuned for the next chapter of The Runaway.

(Note: I'll be updating this fic twice a week from now on. You'll get a new chapter every Monday and Friday.)


	5. The Confrontation

Izzy: Hey, I just thought of something.

Me: What?

Izzy: You know how their team in "Race across New Zealand" was called Team Rocket?

Me: Yeah... What about it?

Izzy: ::Sly grin:: Well… ::Gets in a pose:: Prepare for—!

Me: OO Don't you dare!

Izzy: ;; Awww! You ruined my fun!

------------------------

Last time on The Runaway…

(To the tune of "Escape from the City")

Izzy: Hi. I'm Izzy Lopez with the highlights from the last chapter. Let's see now… Ahhh. It was raining non-stop since I beat Otto using my speed. I was feeling slightly guilty for how the race turned out. I probably should have told him about my speed before we raced. I went to the cul-de-sac where he lives to apologize, but I had no idea which house he lived in. I was about to leave, but Twister showed up and took me to his house.

Meanwhile, Otto was locked up in his room since the race. He was in deep thought about something. Most likely the race or whatever else was bothering him or both. After Twister showed me a video of Otto surfing and stuff, I went to his house to try to talk him out of his room. Apparently, I was successful, but Otto was in bad shape. We took him to the hospital. After the doctor diagnosed him, he woke up and accepted my apology. Whew! That's one problem down. I wonder what else is in store for us.

------------------------

The Runaway Ch. 5: The Confrontation

On the roof of a building overlooking the pier, a figure stood. He seemed to be about five feet eleven inches tall. He was wearing a blue cape, red short-sleeved shirt, and black shorts. The boy looked to be about eighteen. He had a light tan and short black hair.

"So _this_ is where Izzy's been staying, huh?" He let out a small laugh. "He always did have good taste." The boy then walked off.

------------------------

"Hey Izzy!" Otto yelled. Izzy looked up from his position against the wall.

"Yes?" He asked.

"It's your turn." Otto replied. Izzy gave a nod and walked up to Ray, who handed him a bag full of food. He walked out of the Shack and ran off.

It's been two weeks since Otto's visit to the hospital. After he got out, Otto decided to let Izzy work at the Shack. They have taken turns delivering food to hungry customers. They would also do chores around the Shack while waiting for orders. Whenever they had nothing to do, Izzy would just lean against the wall with his arms crossed and hat over his eyes. Otto would usually try to strike up a conversation with the mysterious boy, but couldn't get much out of him. He once asked where Izzy lives and he responded, "Around."

As far as the Twister situation is concerned, nothing is happening there. Now that Otto knows about his feelings for the Mexican boy, he has begun to notice little things about his best bro. Like how many freckles he has on his face, the muscles he developed while surfing, and how much he's grown among other things. Otto hasn't told anyone about his crush yet.

Izzy skidded to a stop and reentered the Shack. He had a grin on his face.

'_Heh. Ten bucks. They had better tip me good for getting to their houses within a few seconds._' He thought as he went out to the back. He counted his money. '_One hundred fifty dollars. At this rate, I'll have plenty to get to Hawaii._' He put the money away and took out his picture. He stared at it for a moment.

'_Man. If only you guys can see me now…_' He suppressed a tear and stared ahead at the open sea. He stayed that way for a few minutes, not noticing someone walking up behind him.

"Izzy?" Otto asked, making him jump. He spun around and glared at the skater.

"Don't ever do that again!"

"What's that?" Otto asked, eyeing Izzy's picture. Izzy quickly put it away.

"It's nothing."

"Some nothing." Otto shot back. "What is it?"

"Like I said, it's nothing." Izzy argued.

"Otto! Delivery!" Ray's voice yelled.

'_Saved._' Izzy thought with relief.

"We'll talk when I get back." Otto said sternly as he left. Izzy gulped. He went back inside and leaned against a wall. A few minutes later, the phone rang. Ray picked it up, scribbled something on a note pad, and tore out the paper.

"Izzy. Delivery." He said ten minutes later. Izzy walked over and grabbed a bag. "Take this to that address." Ray handed him the paper with an address on it.

"Yes sir." Izzy replied as he saluted. Ray looked at him with an eyebrow raised as he ran out of the Shack, quickly turning into a blur. He ran out of the pier and turned left, blazing through Ocean Shores' main street. He ran a little further before hearing a whistling sound that started to get louder. He slowed down and looked up. Two balls of light were heading towards him! Izzy dodged them with ease and then stopped.

"What was that?" He asked as he dodged two more energy balls. He looked up again and saw two people floating in the sky. On the left was a young girl with silver hair. She was wearing a blue blouse and jeans. She seemed to be holding something in her right hand. A curved stick made out of silver. On the right floated an older guy with blond hair. He was wearing a bright yellow shirt and red-orange pants. In his right hand was a yellow-orange stick in the shape of a lightning bolt. Izzy gasped.

'_A wind element and a thunder element. I thought I had more time!_' He thought as the two cackled.

"Izzy! Under the orders of the king, we will now take you back with us." The girl said.

"You must be joking! I'm not going back to that murderous tyrant!" Izzy yelled. The two just laughed.

"We'll take you back by any means necessary." The man said.

"Even if we have to kill you." The girl supplied with a giggle. She then turned to her partner. "Jason, are you sure we can do this? Remember what the master said."

"Don't worry, Sal. Despite what the master said, he's still just a low level, remember?" The man, Jason, replied.

"Right." Sal agreed and the two gathered energy. They fired two shots at Izzy, who just ran ahead.

'_There's gotta be a way to protect the people._' He thought. His left hand then glowed orange.

"Power Beam!" He yelled as he pointed his finger at the two. An orange beam of light fired out of his finger tip. The duo dodged it and flew low.

'_Excellent._' Izzy thought as he put down the bag he had and walked forward. His body glowed orange and the trio was encased in a huge orange dome. '_Thanks to my Power Shield, I don't have to worry about anybody getting hurt._' He ran ahead.

"What does he think he's doing!?" Jason asked as he charged energy into his rod. Electrical energy appeared at the tip and he fired it at Izzy, who moved out of the way. He jumped at the shield feet first and bounced up with his hands glowing.

"Power Beam!" He shot the energy wave at the duo and they dodged again. Izzy landed perfectly and started running again.

"He put us in this dome so that nobody would get hurt. He actually cares for these humans!" Sal said with disgust. The tip of her rod started to glow. "Whirlwind!" She yelled and a small cyclone was thrown at Izzy. He easily dodged it.

"Heh. You may be able to fly, but I got the speed advantage!" Izzy yelled from one end of the arena. "Rocket Accel!" He ran head on for them, only there was no blur this time. He seemed to disappear. He then appeared in front of the duo and punched Jason hard. The man fell to the ground with a thud.

------------------------

Otto had just walked back inside the Shack. Ray was watching a skateboarding program on the overhead TV.

"Hey, where's Izzy?" Otto asked.

"He went to make a delivery." Ray replied. He then looked at his watch. "He should've been back by now." On the TV, the boarder was about to wipe out when the screen flashed gray with the local news station's symbol.

"_We interrupt this program 'cause we feel like it! MWAHAHAHAHA!!!_" A newscaster's voice yelled. "_Just kidding, but something really freaky is going on downtown. We take you live._" The camera switched to outside Izzy's shield. The camera zoomed in on the caped kid, who was running with a rather confident smirk on his face.

"OO IZZY!?!" Otto & Ray yelled.

"What's going on?" Tito asked as he came out of the back room. The TV then displayed Izzy dodging lightning bolts with ease. "What the—!"

"_These two people, who were floating in the sky, started to attack local delivery boy, Izzy Lopez._" The newscaster said. "_And he seems to be giving them a run for their money._" The screen showed Izzy dodging some more and coming back with his own attacks.

"Man. Who knew he can do that?" Ray asked.

"After that race, I don't doubt anything when it comes to him." Tito replied.

"What do you think, Otto? Otto?" Ray looked around, but the young skater was gone.

------------------------

"Crap! I can't believe he's this good!" Sal yelled while dodging a Power Beam.

"Me neither. I guess I underestimated him." Jason replied as he fired a lightning bolt at Izzy.

"Time to fight fire with fire!" Izzy yelled, cringing at the use of that cliché. His body started to crackle with electricity. "Thunderbolt!" He held his hands out and a lot of bolts flew out. One of the bolts cancelled out Jason's and the rest headed towards the duo. Jason dodged them, but his partner got struck.

"Ahhh!!!!" Sal yelled as her body glowed yellow. The electricity faded and she quickly took out a compact. She got a menacing look on her after examining her face. "I'm charred. You burned my hair! It's completely dirty!" Izzy smirked.

"You want dirty, huh?" He kicked up some dirt and clawed at the air. "Gust attack!" A mini tornado appeared, gathering up all the dirt and dust that flew up into the air as a result of the battle. Izzy directed it towards Sal, who, despite all her efforts to stop it, got struck. After the attack was done, she took out the compact again and shrieked in horror.

"M-My face!" Sal's entire body glowed with fury. "Aeroblast!" She fired a huge blast of air at Izzy, who couldn't dodge in time and got knocked all the way to the other side of the shield. He hit the wall hard & grunted in pain as he fell to the ground. He quickly stood up. Sal clearly wasn't satisfied.

"You little brat! Razor Wind!" She fired gusts shaped like blades, which cut at Izzy. He shuddered and hissed at the pain. His eyes glowed red. He clawed at the air and Sal got cut by his own air blade. They both went back and forth, cutting each other. This went on for some time before Izzy rapidly scratched at the air, causing numerous air blades to strike Sal. When the attack was done, strands of silver started falling. The teen got back his bravado as he eyes turned back to their normal color.

"I hope you like the hair cut." He said with a grin. Sal got a completely shocked look on her. She turned to Jason.

"Jason, is my hair ok?" Jason looked at her. Her hair was destroyed! It was cut all crooked and there were some bald spots. He couldn't help but bug out laughing. Sal then turned to Izzy and got ready to strike.

"Unless you want a crew cut or a complete bald job, I suggest you back off!" Izzy yelled. Sal looked terrified.

"You wouldn't."

"Trust me, I would!" Sal hid behind Jason. Izzy got ready to run, despite the wounds on his legs and arms.

"Quick Attack!" He yelled as he dashed forward, then jumped up. He delivered a kick to Jason, who kissed the ground again. Izzy landed perfectly. He started dashing again.

"Mach Punch!" He struck Jason hard with his left fist. Izzy jumped back and got in a thinking pose.

'_What other attack should I use?_'

(Me: ¬¬ How about Extremespeed? You guys already used a bunch of attacks from those games.)

'_Nah. I got a better idea._' Izzy's hand started to turn cold, dangerously frigid. He channeled the cold energy into his pointing finger and targeted Sal.

"Ice Beam!" He yelled as he fired an icy blue beam at her. Being weakened by the cuts, Sal was in no position to defend herself. She got hit and with a final shriek, her entire body froze and plummeted to the ground, where it shattered into a million pieces. Her rod turned to dust.

By now, Otto arrived at the scene. The people who were previously watching ran away. Izzy fell to the ground and held himself up by a leg. He was breathing hard. The shield started to fade away, but it quickly hardened again as he got up.

'_That was so tough, but I still have this guy to beat._' He thought as he got ready to run, but couldn't. He kneeled again. '_Ugh. I'm too tired to run._' Jason, who was panting as well, got up and looked at Sal's remains with a look of complete sadness.

"Sal…" He said, holding back a tear. He then looked at the weakened Izzy and immediately got his second wind. "For you, I'll kill this fool!" He charged towards the boy and delivered a massive blow. Izzy got knocked back to the wall. The shield started fading again as Jason fired bolt after bolt of electricity at him. He screamed in agony as he felt his insides burning. When the attack was done, Izzy slumped to the ground defeated. The shield completely disappeared. Jason jumped back and started charging energy.

"And now, I end this."

"STOP!" Otto yelled. Izzy opened his eyes in shock.

'_Who is that?_' He thought. He couldn't hear the skater's voice clearly. He then spoke up. "Get out of here! He'll kill you!"

"And just what do you want?" Jason asked.

"I want you to leave him alone! He's done nothing to you!" Otto replied.

"Watch your tongue, human!" Jason bellowed.

"Get out of here!" Izzy repeated.

"You better listen to him. I'll destroy you!"

"Leave him alone!" Otto roared.

"I'll show you some respect!" Jason yelled as he charged energy. Izzy started to charge energy as well.

'_Whoever that is, I can't let him be killed._' He thought as an orange ball formed in his hand. Jason fired an energy ball at Otto as Izzy rolled over and threw his ball as well. Because he was closer to Otto, Izzy's ball reached him first. It just floated in front of him.

"Power Shield activate!" Izzy yelled. The ball expanded into a small barrier, which blocked Jason's attack. He closed his eyes. "Well, that was the last of my energy. I'll just die in peace..." He then blacked out. The last thing he felt before he lost consciousness was someone lifting him.

------------------------

A/N:

Izzy: YOU KILLED ME OFF!?!?!?!

Me: I don't know… Anyway, what in the world was that all about!?! Find out what happens in the next thrilling chapter of The Runaway.


	6. Izzy’s Past

Me: It's time for the next chapter. Hey Izzy, you around? ::Turns to find Izzy, who has a rope and an evil grin on his face:: What are you doing?

Izzy: This! ::Ties me up:: Now that you're tied up in my author-proof rope, it's time for some fun!

Me: -- I knew I shouldn't have gotten you that for X-mas.

Izzy: Silence! Lights! ::The lights turn off and music starts playing::

Reggie: ::Appears in a spotlight wearing a Team Rocket costume:: Prepare for trouble!

Me: OO ::Starts struggling::

Otto: ::Appears wearing the same costume:: Make it double!

Reggie: To protect the world from shoobies!

Otto: To unite all surfers within our nation!

Reggie: To denounce the evils of major beefs!

Otto: To get huge air in the stars above!

Reggie: Reggie!

Otto: Otto!

Reggie: Team Rocket grinds rails at the speed of light!

Otto: Surrender now or prepare to face us in Hockey!

Twister: ::Appears wearing a meowth costume:: Twister! That's right!

Me: I don't believe they did that…

Izzy: Well believe it!

Me: And you messed up the space for telling what happened last chapter!

-----------------------------

The Runaway Ch. 6: Izzy's Past

_"Mwahahahaha!" A cruel voice yelled. "Now that I have you, you will die!"_

_"No!" Izzy yelled. The owner of the voice shot a massive amount of dark energy at the boy, who screamed in pain._

-----------------------------

Izzy gasped as he shot up.

'_God… Just a dream._' He thought as he looked around at his surroundings. The room he was in had blue walls. He heard machines beeping.

'_I must be in the hospital, but how?_' He looked down at the white sheets of his bed. He noticed that he was wearing a blue hospital robe. He looked at his arms and noticed huge scars on them, which were stitched up. He put a hand up to his head and felt only his hair, so he wasn't wearing his hat. He looked to his right and saw the sun shining out the window in perfect colors, so he wasn't wearing his sunglasses either. He laid back down.

'_How'd I get here? I remember getting hurt badly and saving whoever was there._' He thought as he remembered the events of the battle. '_I would've been able to hear him if it wasn't for the ringing in my ears. And then, before I blacked out, I felt myself getting picked up. But who picked me up? It couldn't have been that thunder element. I would've been dead if that was the case. It also couldn't have been that guy that showed up. There's no way he could have escaped._' He then turned on the TV and watched some random animé.

'_Well, whatever the reason, it means that I, Izzy Lopez, have survived yet again!_' He sighed contently as he watched the blue hero dash around the fat villain's robot. The animal was about to grab a powerful-looking jewel when Izzy heard the door opening.

"Hey! He's up!" He heard a voice yell and almost instantly, Otto, Reggie, Twister, Sam, Ray, and Tito gathered around his bed. Izzy looked around and went red with embarrassment.

"Uhh... What's up?" He asked. His eyes widened. "Oh crap! The delivery!" He turned to Ray. "I'm sorry, sir. I would've made the delivery, but I was attacked by—"

"It's alright. I saw the footage." Ray interrupted.

"How'd I get here?" Izzy asked, calming down.

"I carried you." Otto said as he stepped up.

"You? So you were the one I protected?" At Otto's nod, Izzy started yelling again. "Didn't you hear me when I told you to get out of there!? That guy coulda killed ya!"

"And what was I supposed to do, leave you to die?!" Otto yelled back. Izzy was speechless. He laid back down.

"How in the world did you get me out of there? That guy could've hunted you down and kill us both."

"Here's what happened…" Otto started.

::::Flashback::::

_"Power Shield activate!" Otto heard Izzy yell as the shield expanded and blocked Jason's attack. The shield then disappeared._

_"And now, human, this next one won't miss!" Jason started to charge energy._

_"Hold it!" A new voice yelled. The same guy with the blue cape floated down and landed between Otto & Jason._

_"Adrian, what are you doing here? The master told me & Sal to get Izzy!" Jason yelled._

_"I'm aware of that, but he didn't say anything about killing any humans." The guy, Adrian, replied._

_"He said 'any means necessary' for a reason, you know."_

_"And I'm telling you to back off!"_

_"You may be at a higher rank than me, but you better let me finish my job." Jason threatened._

_"Or what? You hardly have any energy left after Izzy dealt those blows and killed Sal." Jason gave Adrian a disgusted look._

_"Don't tell me you care for these humans too."_

_"I didn't say that, did I?" Adrian coolly replied. "Besides, the master wants him ALIVE!" He then turned to Otto. "Take Izzy to the hospital and tell him that I will capture him personally." He sounded rather suggestive when he said that. It didn't matter to Otto though. He picked up Izzy and skated off._

::::End Flashback::::

"And I took you to the Shack. Raymundo brought us to the hospital."

"So Adrian's with them too." Izzy stated sadly.

"Woah! Hold on! Just what is this all about!?" Reggie yelled. "Who is this Adrian?! How are you able to do all that stuff!?" She paused. "'Humans?' You're not human?" Izzy shook his head.

"I guess it's time I told you all. I thought I would've had enough time to make the necessary amount of money and leave, but I was wrong." He looked up. "Where is my wallet?"

"Right here." Ray replied as he walked up to a closet. He opened it and Izzy's clothes were inside. He dug inside the pants pockets and pulled out Izzy's wallet. He handed it to the boy and he took out his picture. He handed it to Ray, who showed it to everybody else.

"The two people at the top are my mother & father." Izzy began. "The one on the bottom right is me at eleven and the one opposite me is Adrian. He's my best friend." He had a faint blush when he said that. "If he was there as Otto said, then he must be about eighteen now."

"Why are you all wearing capes?" Sam asked as he handed Izzy the picture.

"It's customary for us to wear capes." Izzy replied. "I am a wizard." Everyone gasped.

"But wizards don't normally have super speed, do they?" Reggie asked.

"No. Very few wizards are born with this ability. It's a common trait for all wizards to fly though." He paused. "But I can't."

"Why not?" Sam asked.

"You have to have a high mastery of magic in order to fly. I am only a low leveled wizard. I don't even have my wand." Izzy sniffed back a tear.

"Why should that matter?" Twister asked.

"I'll tell you." Izzy's body then glowed white and everything got bright. The light engulfed everybody and it vanished, taking everybody along with it.

(A/N: "::This format::"= Present day Izzy talking)

"Where are we?" Otto asked. All that the group can see is white all around. Izzy wasn't even in front of them like he was a second ago.

"::You are in my mind.::" Izzy's voice replied. "::I'm going to show you all how everything came to be. Please don't be alarmed at what you see. You can not alter the images and the images can not hurt you.::"

"Anything else?" Twister asked impatiently.

"::Yeah. Please keep your feet and arms in the tram at all times.::" Izzy replied with sarcasm. The white was then replaced by the green of a heavily wooded forest. A baby was seen crawling through the brush. The little boy was only wearing a diaper.

"Aww! How cute!" Reggie squealed. She started making baby noises. Everybody else got a freaked out look.

"::This was me as a baby.::" Izzy's voice said. The younger Izzy came across a stick. It was nearly as long as the child. He picked it up and it started to glow brightly. When the light subsided, the stick was replaced by a golden rod. It looked absolutely perfect. It was straight. Not a single section stuck out like it did when it was a stick. At the top was a shimmering sapphire. Despite how heavy it looked, Izzy waved it around like it was still a stick.

"::As you can see, when a wizard child first touches a stick, it becomes his or her wand. A wizard's wand is important because it is the source of his power. Only the most powerful spells can be done with it. If you don't have it, you can only do parlor tricks and defensive spells.::" A rustling was then heard as the man from Izzy's picture came out and gasped.

_"Honey! Little Izzy has his wand!"_ The man yelled. More rustling was heard as a familiar-looking woman emerged. She gasped at the sight of the child's wand.

_"Quick dear! Take the wand before he causes any damage."_ The woman said. The man walked up to Izzy and snatched his wand away. Immediately, the child started bawling.

"::My parents had good intentions when they took my wand.::" Izzy's voice said. "::Some wizards can handle their newfound power even at that young an age. Others, on the other hand…::"

::BOOM!::

The group turned and found themselves in the rubble of a burning city. A small figure crawled out from the destruction carrying a crooked black wand. The baby gave an innocent laugh.

"::Some can cause damage limited only by their imagination.::" The scene changed to a three year-old Izzy inside a house. His father was across from him and his mother was holding him up. Izzy's mom let him go and he struggled to stand.

_"Come to Daddy, Izzy."_ His father said with his arms wide open. Izzy started coming towards him very slowly. He got about halfway there before he dashed and tackled his father at an incredible speed. After getting back his wind, Izzy's dad looked at his wife and then at the toddler with a look of concern.

"::They knew I was something special, so they examined my wand. My mother was a doctor, so she was able to examine me as well.::" The scene switched to Izzy's mother behind a computer. She was typing away. Izzy's father walked into the darkened room.

_"Find anything yet?"_ He asked as he handed her a cup of coffee.

_"For some reason, nothing abnormal comes up when I examine the wand or Izzy."_ She replied.

"What's the deal? I thought they would be happy that you got such a cool wand." Otto said.

"::It's like this: A wizard usually has strong command over one specific element such as thunder, earth, and darkness.::" Izzy's voice started. "::My mother was a water element witch and my father was a fire element wizard. When these two elements reproduce, the child is usually supposed to be a wind element wizard or witch. I was supposed to get a wind element wand when I touched the stick, but instead of my wand being silver and curved near the end, it was gold and straight. Of course they were happy, but they were concerned for that reason.::"

The scene changed to inside a car. A six year-old Izzy was sitting in the back. He looked out the window and saw a massive building.

_"What's this place?"_ He asked with innocence.

_"This is School."_ His mother started. _"You're going to come here everyday to learn magic."_ Izzy then noticed that the kids walking towards the building were holding wands of different varieties and colors. He gasped.

_"Mom! All these kids have wands."_

_"Of course they do. They're wizards, just like you."_ Izzy shook his head.

_"You don't understand! I don't have my wand!"_ He started to cry.

_"Don't worry. I have a surprise for you."_ Izzy's mother brought out her wand and made the tip of it glow. A black book bag appeared right next to Izzy. _"Open it."_ He grabbed the bag and opened the zipper. He was greeted with a golden light. He reached in and with a grin, pulled out his wand.

_"Oh Mommy! Thank you!"_ He yelled.

"'Mommy?'" Twister asked with a grin.

"::I was six. Give me a break!::" Izzy's voice yelled. The younger Izzy and his mom left the car and walked towards the school, him hopping around the whole way.

"::For the next few years, I learned the ways of magic. I was always told in school to hate any and all humans. I never understood why humans were bad or even why the wizarding world hated them, so I basically ignored what everyone said. Everything went fine until one day…::" Now, eleven year-old Izzy is seen sitting in a class. A small black cauldron was sitting on his desk.

_"Now class, we're going to make potions today."_ A female teacher said. _"Take out your wands and repeat after me."_ All the students took out their wands, as did the teacher. She was about to start an incantation when there was a knock at her door. She walked over to it and answered. After a brief conversation, two burly men in black suits walked in.

_"Izzy Lopez?"_ One of the men asked. Izzy slowly raised his hand. The man walked over to him. _"Under the orders of the king of the wizarding world, you are hereby expelled and your wand is to be confiscated."_ He snatched Izzy's wand and left the room, despite the little boy's protests.

"::I was feeling devastated about what happened. I emptied out my locker and left for home.::" The scene changed to the kitchen of Izzy's house. He seemed to be talking to his parents.

"::I told them about what happened. They seemed to take it well.::" Izzy's dad banged on the kitchen table, scaring the younger members of the group.

_"This is an outrage! Why would the king just simply take Izzy's wand for?"_ He yelled.

_"Calm down, dear. I'm sure we can call in for an appeal."_ Izzy's mom said. _"Now let's have dinner. We'll call them in the morning."_ She snapped her fingers and the empty dinner plates were covered with a ton of delicious-looking food. Sam was drooling at the sight.

"::Unfortunately, they never made the call.::" A banging sound was heard and the front door broke. Three men ran into the kitchen and two of them grabbed Izzy's parents. The third grabbed their wands. Izzy was huddled in a corner.

_"Mom! Dad!"_ He yelled as he started to cry.

_"You are under arrest for treason against the king!"_ The man holding Izzy's dad yelled.

_"What!? We didn't do anything! This is all a big mistake!"_ Izzy's dad yelled back.

_"What did we do?! Who will take care of our son!?!?!"_ Izzy's mom yelled. Ray & Tito had seen enough.

"Ready, Tito?" Ray asked.

"You know it, bruddah!" Tito replied. The two charged at the strong-looking men, but they went right through them.

_"Silence! The king will take the kid into custody."_ The man holding Izzy's mom gruffly replied.

_"No! Mom! Dad! Don't leave me!"_ Young Izzy yelled.

_"Come on, kid."_ The third thug said as he started to pull Izzy away. The teens got to action and tried to pull him away, but they couldn't even grab on to him. Izzy yelled for his parents again.

_"Izzy, be brave son."_ His father said.

_"Yes. We love you."_ His mother said. Izzy tried to pull away from the big man with little success.

_"Don't leave me!"_ He yelled as the scene changed again. This time, the group was inside a gloomy hall.

"::I was taken to the king's castle.::"

_"Heh heh heh."_ A cruel voice laughed low. The young Izzy turned and found himself facing a man wearing a black cape and black clothes. A gold crown was on his head. A crooked black wand was in his right hand.

_"Welcome to my castle."_ He said. A twisted grin appeared on his face. Izzy immediately bolted. The king gave a wave of his wand and an orb of dark energy surrounded the boy. It floated up and went back to the king.

_"Where do you think you're going? You'll miss the show!"_ He said happily. Izzy looked terrified.

_"S-Show?"_

_"Why your parents execution, of course!"_ The king gave a blood curdling laugh as Izzy tried desperately to break the orb. The scene switched to outside the castle. A mass of people were gathered around a guillotine. The king was sitting in a well-decorated seat, sipping on some wine. Izzy was tied up and sitting next to the king. He struggled to get free, but to no avail. On a table in front of them sat his parents' wands.

_"Bring on the entertainment!"_ The king ordered. Izzy's parents were forcefully shoved towards the guillotine. They gave a last loving look at their son before they were forced down onto the guillotine. The group looked away. In a matter of seconds, a sickening chopping sound was heard and their wands turned to dust right in front of Izzy's tear-filled eyes.

"::My parents were holding hands when they died. With all my strength and rage, I managed to break free of the ropes and run for my life before the king could even grab his wand.::" Izzy was then seen running at a speed he didn't even know he could run.

"::Panicking, I ran into my home, grabbed my book bag, and quickly stuffed everything I might need into it before any of the king's forces can come after me.::" Izzy packed away clothes, money out of his parents' vault, a camping kit, and most importantly, some magic books.

"::Among the books was one my father wrote. Inside it were offensive and defensive spells that can be used without a wand. 'Any spell can be used, regardless of whether the wizard has his wand or not.' That's what he wrote on the very first page.::" Izzy grabbed a picture from its frame. The same one with his parents and his best friend on it. He stuffed it into his pocket, grabbed his cape, and ran out. Everything got white and everybody found themselves in the hospital room once more.

"For six long years, I've been running from my home in New Jersey." Izzy said. "Everyday since then, I taught myself the spells in the books, slowly becoming more powerful. I would usually run out of money to live on every second or so city. I had to earn money before moving on. I did many odd jobs. My magic made them easy. I also had to fight any wizard or witch that tried to catch me. Soon, I made it through the harsh desert to the ocean. I must cross it in order to continue on." Everybody remained quiet, trying to absorb all that the young wizard said. After a few minutes, Reggie spoke up.

"So what element are you then?"

"I…don't know. My parents never figured it out." Izzy replied.

"And what element is that Adrian kook?" Otto asked. Izzy gave him a light glare. He still respected his friend.

"He's a fire element, I believe."

"And why did your parents' wands crumble when..." Sam's voice trailed off.

"A wizard's wand is indestructible. No means of magic or physical power can break it. Once the owner of the wand dies, however, it turns to dust." Izzy answered.

"And what about you?" Twister asked. "Can't you just touch another stick and have it be your new wand?" Izzy shook his head.

"If only it were that simple. A wizard gets one and _only_ one wand in his entire life. Any other stick he touches would remain that way, a stick."

"So your wand is lost then?" Tito asked.

"Not necessarily. Like I said, I was supposed to be a wind element wizard, so my wand must be too valuable to just throw away. The king must have it locked up somewhere in his castle."

"Will you ever go back?" Otto asked. Izzy gave him a "Duh!" look.

"Of course I'll go back. I'll train until I'm strong enough. I'll get my wand back and get my revenge."

"So where have you been living all this time?" Ray asked, changing the subject a little. Izzy's eyes widened.

'_Caught._' He gave a sigh.

"I've been living in my tent in the park." Everybody gasped.

"Dude." Twister said scornfully.

"I know, I know. Where else was I supposed to go?" Izzy asked. Just then, the doctor from two weeks ago walked in and examined him.

"Ok. It seems that you suffered really severe injuries. You're free to go." Everybody else gasped as the doctor wrote something on a clipboard.

"Are you sure he's all right?" Ray asked incredulously.

"It's only a simple back injury and a few cuts that were stitched up. It's nothing serious." The doctor said, waving a dismissive hand. He then left the room. Ray smacked his forehead.

"I really have to get a new doctor."

"I'm fine, really." Izzy said as he started to get up with little success. "All I have to do is get back to my tent, use a healing spell and I'll be at work tomorrow. Ouch!" He dropped on the bed again, clutching his left arm.

"Oh no you don't! You're not living in that tent anymore. Not with these wizards around." Reggie said with a motherly tone. Izzy gave her a curious look.

"And just _where_ do you think I'm going to live?" He asked. The Rockets looked at each other and then at him with an evil look. He gasped.

"Oh no. You wouldn't."

"Oh but we would." Reggie replied.

"Yeah. You'll live with us for awhile." Ray said.

"So get dressed and we'll go get your stuff!" Otto yelled as he tossed Izzy his clothes. Everybody left him to get dressed. He sighed and gave a chuckle.

"There's just no compromising with humans. Maybe that's why most wizards hate them." He then looked at his picture. This time, however, his focus was on Adrian. "Are you like the rest of them too or do you care about humans like me?" With a sigh, he got dressed and joined the others, groaning at the pain in his body the whole time.

-----------------------------

A/N:

Me: See? I didn't kill you off.

Izzy: ::Mutters:: Better not of.

Me: What was that?

Izzy: Nothing.

Me: Thought so. Anyway, what will happen to the group next? Is there anymore chaos in store? When will we get back to the yaoi? Tune in for the next chapter of The Runaway.


	7. The Meeting

Me: Izzy! Question.

Izzy: What?

Me: In the last two chapters, you made two, count 'em, TWO Team Rocket jokes! Yet when **I** make a Team Rocket joke, you go bananas. Care to explain yourself?

Izzy: Pfft! You know perfectly well the joke I hate is when you have us and/or a dimension's characters blasting off. What _I_ did was dress up three members of the RP crew as Team Rocket. It's _much _different and better than _your_ jokes!

Me: ::Growls:: Oh _I'll_ show you a joke alright. ::Turns to the camera:: Before we get to business, I'd like to say that I appreciate the reviews I've gotten so far. I've never seen longer reviews for _any_ of my fics! I'm really going have to consider writing for this fandom more! In any case, I want to answer one of my reviews.

To mike2000: I guess there _could_ be such a thing as movement wizards. The only things I've ever read that had to do with wizards and witches was up to the third Harry Potter book, so I don't know all that much on the subject. In any case, that's not Izzy's expertise, although I have played with speed in some of my past fics. As for your other questions, you'll find out in due time.

Enjoy the chapter, folks!

------------------------

Last time on The Runaway…

(To the tune of "Believe in Myself" [Tails' theme in Sonic Adventure 2])

Sam: Hi. Sam Dullard here to tell what happened because I was in the last chapter long enough to know what went on!

Me: ¬¬ Just stick to the script.

Sam: Alright. Anyway, we were in the hospital visiting Izzy after he got close to being killed. We found out that he's a wizard. He used some spell to put us in his mind and show us everything that happened from when he got his wand until his parents' demise. He's been running for six years to avoid capture or worse. What's more is that his best friend, Adrian is in alliance with the Wizard King, whoever he is. Who knows what will happen now.

------------------------

The Runaway Ch. 7: The Meeting

After gathering Izzy's stuff in the park, the Rockets took him to their place. Everybody was now sitting in the living room. Izzy had his face buried in a book. He wasn't wearing his sunglasses, cape, and hat. He was wincing and groaning in pain whenever he turned a page. Otto, clearly fed up from all the noise, took action.

"Uhh…Izzy, what are you looking for?"

"I'm—Ouch!—looking for—Oohh!—a healing—Ack!—spell. Ow!" Izzy replied while turning pages. "Ahh! Here it is! The healing spell." He then stood up, ignoring his pain. He started mumbling words that none of the Rockets were able to understand. He started to get louder and louder until he was nearly screaming.

"And…**HEAL!!!**" A pink light surrounded Izzy. All of the bruises on his face started to disappear, as well as all of his other injuries.

"Ahh much better." He gave a yawn and his eyes widened in realization. "Quick! Tell me where I'm going to sleep!"

"Uhh…You'll sleep on the couch. Why?" Ray replied.

"When I—::Yawn::—use that healing spell, I have to sleep for awhile." Izzy answered while moving towards the couch. "It's a side effect of its use." He then laid down and started to close his eyes. "See ya in the morning…" And he was out. Reggie got a blanket and put it over him.

"It's late. You guys should be getting to sleep too." Ray said.

"Awww!" Otto & Reggie groaned.

"You have work tomorrow, Otto." Ray reminded.

"Oh yeah… Forgot about that." Otto said and he trudged upstairs followed by Reggie. They soon went to sleep.

Later…

_"Izzy…" A voice said. Izzy, who was standing in an open field, looked around in shock._

_"Who's there?"_

_"Don't you remember me?" The voice asked as a figure came into view. Izzy gasped._

_"Adrian? Is that you?" The figure nodded. Before Izzy can go off on a rant, Adrian spoke._

_"Meet me at the top of the Bruised Man's Curve mountain boarding course tomorrow at one. Come alone."_

_"What? How do I know you won't try anything?" Izzy asked._

_"I won't. I only wish to talk. To catch up." Adrian replied. Izzy gave a snort and crossed his arms._

_"You probably only want to get me to join the king."_

_"I want to talk to you under my own will. The king has nothing to do with this."_

_"Hmph!"_

_"Please Izzy. For your best friend?" Adrian pleaded. After a few moments, Izzy uncrossed his arms._

_"Fine. If you try anything—"_

_"I won't. I promise."_

_"And another thing, don't you **ever** go into my head while I sleep again!"_

------------------------

Izzy opened his eyes and sat up.

"He can just go into people's heads like that?" He asked himself quietly, not wanting to wake anyone up. His ears picked up the sound of something cooking and someone talking. With a groan, he stood up and stretched his arms. He walked into the kitchen, where Reggie was talking on the phone. Her back was to him. He sat down at the table.

"Wow! That's great, Tito! See ya later." Reggie said and she hung up the phone. She turned around and screamed when she saw Izzy sitting there. Shocked, he turned around.

"What's _your_ problem?" He asked while cleaning his ears.

"When did _you_ come in?!"

"Uhh… Just a second ago. Are you always this jumpy in the morning?"

"When people sneak around, yeah!"

"I wasn't sneaking around." Izzy said innocently. "I just walked in and took a seat."

"Oh. Well, if you're thirsty, you can just get some O.J." Reggie said as she calmed down. Izzy went to the fridge. "How do you like your eggs?"

"Scrambled please." Izzy replied. Just then, Otto & Ray walked in the room.

"What was that screaming about, Rocket Girl?" Ray asked after everybody exchanged good mornings.

"I was just scared when I saw him." Reggie replied while pointing to Izzy, who was pouring some orange juice into a cup. He walked to the table and sipped on his juice.

"So who was on the phone, Reg?" Otto asked. Reggie put on a grin.

"Oh that was Tito. Guess what? Keoni's coming here for a week!" Otto put on his own grin.

"Awesome!" He then thought, '_Finally, someone to talk to about this whole Twister mess._' On his last visit to Ocean Shores, Keoni had come out and said he was gay. Everybody took it pretty well.

(A/N: I don't know if there are any Keoni fans out there, but don't kill me over this decision! I just had a hilarious idea for the next chapter and I kinda need him for it.)

Izzy yawned and gave the Rockets a questioning look.

"So who's Keoni?"

"He's Tito's nephew. He comes from Hawaii for a visit every once in a while." Otto replied.

"When's he coming?" Ray asked.

"His flight should come in at three." Reggie said. Everybody else looked shocked.

"Three o'clock _today_!?" Otto & Ray yelled.

"Uhh…yeah."

"That means we should go to the airport early to meet him." Ray said to himself. "I guess there's no work for you two today then." Otto & Izzy gave a cheer. "Would you like to go meet Keoni, Izzy?"

"Sure. I'm probably going to meet him sooner or later anyway." Izzy replied. He then looked at the nearby clock. It read, "9:45."

'_I gotta leave to meet Adrian soon…_' He thought with a hesitant tone. He turned back towards everybody else. "What time are we leaving?"

"It's best to leave early, so we'll go at two." Ray replied. "If you guys have to go anywhere today, make sure you're back before we leave." Everybody then had breakfast, which consisted of eggs and bacon. Afterwards, Izzy walked back into the living room and grabbed one of his magic books. Groaning at the thought of him screaming to use another spell, Otto walked up to him.

"Whatcha doing?"

"I'm looking for a spell to repair my clothes. They got badly damaged in that fight." Izzy replied. Otto took a close look at his clothes. His pants and shirt were slightly burned and torn up. His cape, which was sitting nearby, was even more tattered.

"Ok. Here it is." The wizard took a deep breath. Otto's eyes widened.

"Wait!" He yelled. Izzy looked at him with an eyebrow raised. "Uhhh… Why don't I loan you some of my clothes to wear? It's way too hot for the clothes you're wearing." Izzy put a thumb to his chin.

"Good point, but are you sure I would even fit in them?" He then stood up. Otto looked him over.

"Yeah. You may be a bit bigger than me, but I think I got something you can wear." He went upstairs. A few moments later, he came back with a black shirt and a pair of magenta jean shorts. "Here ya go."

"Thanks. Where's your bathroom at?" Izzy said as he took the clothes.

"Upstairs. First room on the left." Otto replied. Izzy walked up and went to the bathroom, which was by Reggie's door. After finding a towel and taking off his clothes, he turned on the shower and stepped in.

'_Ahhh… A refreshing shower beats using a cleansing spell any day._' He thought as he let the water relax his muscles. He then applied the soap.

'_I wonder what Adrian wants to talk about._' He rubbed the soap on his arms. '_He probably would try to get me to join the king and try to destroy all humans or this could be a trap. I better stay on guard._' He finished up with the soap and rinsed himself off.

'_Still, I have some questions I want to ask. Like for one thing, how powerful did Adrian become since I last saw him?_' He then put some shampoo in his afro-like hair and lathered it up. '_In all seriousness though, I better keep my questions less personal. Like what does the king want me for?_' He rinsed off his hair and turned the water off. He stepped out and started drying himself.

'_Anyway, I got plenty of time to kill before I deal with Adrian. I just hope that our talk will be over before I have to go to the airport. I better go buy a new watch._' He put on his new clothes and looked in the mirror. '_Not bad. What kind of clothes are these?_'

(Me: Skater clothes. I told ya I would get them for ya.)

'_Cool._' He then left the bathroom and went back to the living room.

"That was a good shower. Now, to repair my cape." He opened the book again. Otto, who was watching TV, looked over and his eyes widened again.

"Oh crap."

"Something wrong?" Izzy asked as he found the spell again.

"Oh no. Nothing at all." Otto put his hands over his ears. Izzy mumbled some magic words. Otto, after a long time of waiting, didn't hear him get any louder. Surprised, he put his hands down as Izzy snapped his fingers. Instantly, the cape and his other clothes (which he brought down from the bathroom) glowed with a blue aura. All the tears and burns repaired themselves and disappeared. When the spell ended, Izzy grabbed his cape and tied it around his neck. He put away the other clothes.

"Uhhh… What?" Izzy looked at Otto, who had a confused look on his face.

"Are you ok?" He asked.

"Yeah... Weren't you supposed to yell to use that spell?"

"No. That healing spell I used last night is actually the only spell I've ever used that requires me to scream. Go figure." Izzy replied as he got his shoes on, grabbed his hat & sunglasses, and went to the door. Otto looked at the camera grimly.

"If we were doing animé type stuff in this fic, I would've fallen over." He then grabbed his skateboard gear and went with Izzy outside. The wizard was doing some light stretching as Twister & Sam came out from their respective houses. They all exchanged hellos.

"You seem ok." Sam said to Izzy, who nodded.

"Thanks. I just used a quick healing spell."

"You mean quick _and _loud!" Otto said.

"Yeah!" Twister agreed. "I bet they heard you in Mexico!" Everybody laughed at that one.

"So did you hear? Keoni's coming."

"Yeah. Reggie told us already before she went to Mad Town. You guys coming?" Sam asked.

"Sorry. I have…something to take care of." Izzy said. "Umm… Do you guys know where the mountain boarding course is?"

"Which one?" Twister asked.

"Ummm… Bruised Man's Curve?" Izzy answered, trying to remember his best friend's words.

"Bruised Man's Curve!?" Everybody else yelled. Izzy looked slightly irritated.

"Do ya know where it is or not!?"

"Uhhh… It's on the outskirts of town. Past the Chemical Plant Zone." Sam replied.

"oO"

"That's the name of the industrial district."

"-- There are _way_ too many Sonic references in this fic." Izzy said with a sigh.

"Tell me about it." Everybody else agreed.

(Me: Hey, it's like my favorite game series! Give me a break!)

"Anyway, why do you want to go up there for?" Otto asked.

"I just need to do something. I'll be back in time to go with you guys to the airport." And with that, Izzy ran off towards the pier. He went to a watch shop on the boardwalk and bought a sport watch. It was mostly black and the face had some red on it.

(A/N: Sonic Reference no. = Who knows! Take a guess at who this refers to! =P)

After getting it set up, Izzy noticed that it was 12:45.

"Time passed _that _fast!?" He asked as he started running.

(Me: Eh. Better than making you be bored for an hour or so.)

"Point taken." He then used Rocket Accel to reach Bruised Man's Curve. Considering what time it was, it was strange that the place was empty. No one was seen boarding. Izzy looked up and noticed how rough the course looked. Jagged rocks jutted out from the sides, which made the place look scary to anybody without any experience.

'_Weird. People would be nuts to try to ride in that kind of course!_' He thought. '_But why is it empty? Adrian must've scared the people off._' He shook his head at his friend's possible actions. Izzy thought he heard something, so he turned around. He saw no one though. He turned around and ran towards the top of the mountain. With his speed, he just bounced off the many rocks to climb to the top. When he got there, he saw his best friend looking ahead. His back was turned away from Izzy.

"I see you got here with no problem." The boy said.

"Alright Adrian, I'm here, so what do you want?" Izzy asked. Adrian then turned around. At the sight of the dark haired boy, he blushed.

'_Man! He's so much better looking than I thought._' He thought. He shook his head. "Uhh… How are you?"

"Considering I've been chased across the country for the past six years, pretty good actually. You?" Izzy replied.

"I'm good. I've been serving in the king's personal army for a few years." Adrian said. Izzy raised an eyebrow.

"You're my age. How could you serve in his army?"

"I've gotten pretty strong since you left. Also, the king has been getting rather desperate." Adrian replied.

"Is that so? How strong are you anyway?" Izzy asked.

"Strong enough to do this." Adrian lifted himself into the air and floated for a few seconds before he landed. Izzy stared wide-eyed for a moment before recollecting himself.

"And I guess that spell you used last night is another result of your training?" Adrian nodded.

"It was a dream charm. I can go into anybody's mind and do whatever I want with it while they're sleeping."

"Good for you. Don't ever do it to me again." Izzy said with ice in his voice.

"Why are you being like this?" Adrian asked. "You're completely cold to me."

"In case you don't remember, my parents were killed by the one you swear allegiance to and he ordered my wand to be taken away." Izzy replied, crossing his arms and looking away. "Something like that, plus getting betrayed will do that to you."

"I didn't betray you." Adrian said, looking at the ground. "Do you want to know why he did that?"

"Because he's a sadistic freak?"

"No. He fears your power." Adrian answered. Izzy gave him a shocked look.

"What power? I'm only a low level. I can't fly! I didn't even get through the sixth grade! I don't even have my wand."

"I know all that. I still don't get what his deal is." Adrian said. "He said that you may be the greatest wizard of all."

"He's nuts." was all that Izzy offered in response. "I mean, who just destroys a child's parents and chases him all over the country?" Seeing that Adrian had nothing to say, he continued. "As soon as I get enough money, I'm outta here."

"You see, there's a problem with that."

"What is it?" Izzy sighed.

"Well…the king cursed you."

"What!? How? What's the curse!?" Izzy yelled.

"You can't leave the country by any means whatsoever. You can't run out or fly out." Adrian explained.

"So, I'm stuck here then?"

"Yeah." Adrian said with a nod.

"Why does he think I might be the greatest?"

"Well for one thing, you got a golden wand instead of a wind element wand and you have super speed. Only the best wizards have that kind of power." Adrian replied.

"So? I'm sure the king must have super speed as well." Izzy said. Adrian nodded.

"He does, but the wand is what bothers him." Izzy looked slightly hopeful.

"So he still has my wand?"

"Yeah. But he wouldn't let anybody go near it. Not even the wand's true owner."

"I'm not surprised. Why doesn't he just use it then?" Izzy asked. Adrian shook his head and laughed.

"You and I both know that only the wand's true owner can wield it."

"If I'm a so-called 'threat' to his monarchy, why doesn't he just come here and kill me? He's certainly got the power."

"He's not stupid enough to destroy the wand when he can exploit its power." Adrian answered. Izzy gave a grin at that.

"So he _does_ want me to join him. Typical."

"Yeah. Wanna join?" Adrian joked. They both laughed.

"Hell no. You wanna help me reclaim my wand?" Adrian walked up to Izzy.

"I'd go with you to the ends of the earth, but I can't betray my king." He was now a little closer than Izzy wanted. The taller brunet started to blush furiously.

"W-Well if you can't, then we have nothing more to discuss." Izzy turned and was about to leave.

"Izzy wait." Adrian held out his hand and grabbed Izzy's arm. The taller boy turned around. "Look. The king is starting to get impatient. He's coming." Izzy gasped.

"What? When?"

"I don't know, but he said he'll strike before the end of the summer."

'_So that explains the feeling I got when I came to this town._' Izzy thought.

"What'll you do?" Adrian asked, breaking him out of his reverie.

"I don't know. I'll train and hope for the best." Izzy looked at his watch. "I've gotta go. It was nice to see you again, although the next time we meet, we'll probably be enemies." Without waiting for a response, he jumped down and ran off.

'_Bye. I hope that we never have to fight._' Adrian thought before he flew off.

------------------------

'_I can't believe this is happening. I'll have to make my stand._' Izzy thought as he ran. '_I have to start training immediately, but how can I without letting them know of the danger that's coming?_' He looked at his watch.

'_Crap! It's five to two. I gotta get back._' He used Rocket Accel to reach the Rockets' house just as everybody was getting into Ray's car.

"You made it." Ray said.

"Yeah…" Izzy panted as he climbed in the set of seats behind the middle set of seats. Tito was in the front passenger seat, Reggie & Sam were in the middle set, and in order from left to right, Izzy, Otto, and Twister sat in the third set.

The old-looking green car left the cul-de-sac and drove off to the airport.

------------------------

A/N:

If you are reading this, then congratulations! You've officially got through the first half of the fic! After this chapter, things are gonna get interesting. We're talking longer chapters (with only one exception), comedy, and plenty of action! So, what's going to happen next for our heroes? Find out on Friday's edition of The Runaway!


	8. The Date?

Me: Here's where I get slightly silly and sort of leave the main plot of the story for a sec.

Izzy: How so?

Me: Picture this: This fic's secondary fan character and a normal character that doesn't appear often enough on the show try to win the affections of this fic's main fan character.

Izzy: -- So basically, you're having Keoni and Adrian try to get with me?

Me: ::Nods:: It'll be the story of a lifetime! Full of comedy, close calls, and a lovely smooch scene at the end! It'll kill at the Box Office!

Izzy: HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!

Me: What's so funny?

Izzy: I hate to break it to ya, but your little "story" is gonna have an unhappy ending! I'm straight, remember? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!

Me: GWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Izzy: oO W-why are you laughing?

Me: ::Continues laughing evilly::

Izzy: Boss, you're scaring me. Why would you be laughing? Unless… OO Oh God… Tell me you didn't. Please Boss, tell me you didn't do _that_.

Me: ::Grins:: Time to start the chapter.

Izzy: No! Anything but that!

Me: Have fun.

Izzy: ;; ::Walks away:: At least now I know why you didn't let Alice come with us from the Sonic dimension. She would've shot you ten times before you hit the floor.

Me: Actually, I think she would've found it cute. ::Waves at the camera:: Enjoy!

------------------------

Last time on The Runaway…

(To the tune of "Escape from the City")

Izzy: Hiya! Izzy here with commentary. Again!? Anyway, the Rockets had offered to let me stay at their home while I make enough cash to leave. (More like forced if ya ask me.) That night, I had a dream in which my best friend, Adrian, told me to meet him on top of a mountain boarding course. He was using some kind of spell.

The next day, I found out that a friend of the Rockets, Keoni, is coming for a visit. He must be a good friend considering how happy Otto & Reggie were. I soon went to Bruised Man's Curve and met up with my friend. I found out that I've been cursed, so I can't leave the country at all. Also, I found out that I'm supposed to be the strongest wizard of all time (Yeah right!) and that the king will come for me soon. I gotta train hard to prepare! But first, I have to meet this Keoni person.

------------------------

The Runaway Ch. 8: The Date?

Riding in the car, everybody was in a conversation about one thing or another. Well, almost everybody.

'_I'm cursed._' Izzy thought grimly while looking at the passing cars on the highway. '_I can't leave the country, so I'm boxed in if I decide to just run. That means I'll have to fight eventually._' He gave a heavy sigh and looked around at the other teens. Sam & Reggie were talking about a magazine of some sort and Otto & Twister were joking about something. He turned back to the window.

'_Still, I don't want these people to get involved in the fighting, but I can't just leave them like this. Not after what they've done for me, especially Otto._' He gave another heavy sigh and continued looking out the window the rest of the way.

------------------------

At the massive airport, everybody waited anxiously for the arrival of the 747 from Hawaii.

"So what's Keoni like, anyway?" Izzy asked.

"Oh he's a cool guy. You'll like him." Otto replied.

"Yeah. He's fun to be with." Reggie said. Izzy nodded.

"Cool." He then thought of something. "I should probably give him something as a welcoming gift."

"You don't have to do that." Ray said.

"I want to though. You know how girls put those flower necklaces around your neck when you first arrive at Hawaii? I wanna do something like that." Just then, the plane arrived.

Many people walked out of the gate, including a guy about Otto's height. He had short length brown hair and bronze skin. He was wearing a violet shirt with palm trees pictured on it and a pair of blue shorts. The group waved and Keoni walked over to them.

"Hey guys!" He greeted cheerfully. Most of the group walked up to him and started asking questions like "How was your trip?" and other such banter. Izzy hung back, thinking about a way to welcome the teen. The others turned and started walking towards him. The caped teen, in turn, walked up as well.

"Hi. I'm Izzy." He said to Keoni. The two shook hands. Izzy then snapped his fingers and in a cloud of smoke, a bouquet of different colored flowers appeared in his hands. "To welcome you here, I present you with these." He handed them to Keoni, who started blushing.

"Ummm Thanks." He replied. The group started walking to baggage claim. Otto and Keoni were in the back. "So tell me. Is he a magician or something?" Keoni gestured to the caped boy.

"Something like that." Otto replied, chuckling nervously.

"Well, he's cute anyway." Keoni said. Otto raised an eyebrow.

"Uhhh yeah... He's staying with us for a little while."

"Why's that?" Keoni asked.

"Uhhh... He's been having troubles with his family." Otto lied. He had no idea if it was ok for him to tell anybody about Izzy's powers, despite the fact he uses them in public. Keoni seemed to have an understanding look.

"Is it something like in my case?"

"I'm not really sure. I doubt it though." Otto said.

'_Hey. Wait a minute…_' He thought as his mind went back to the hospital.

::::Flashback::::

_"…the one opposite me is Adrian. He's my best friend." Otto heard Izzy say as he looked at the picture. He then looked at Izzy. He almost didn't notice the blush on the injured boy's face._

::::End Flashback::::

'_He must like that guy._' Otto thought. '_I almost forgot about that._' He turned to Keoni.

"Actually, his situation is kinda like your's." Keoni seemed to have a happy look on his face.

"Cool. I'd like to get to know him a little better."

------------------------

Everybody was in the car, riding back to Ocean Shores. The order in the back was the same as on the way to the airport, except Twister was sitting in the middle set with Reggie & Sam and Keoni was sitting between Otto & Izzy. Otto was looking at Twister lovingly while Keoni was staring at Izzy, who was forlorn about something as he looked out the window.

'_What am I gonna do? I could train while working, but they may get suspicious._' He thought before shrugging. '_It could work though._' He then felt eyes on him. Slowly, he turned his head and found himself staring into Keoni's eyes. Izzy almost drowned into those beautiful pools if he didn't feel his face flaring up. He quickly turned around and rolled down the window to cool himself off. Keoni had a grin on his face.

------------------------

"Ok. Here goes." Izzy said as he started to charge energy. The wind around him picked up and swirled. He soon held his hands out ahead of him and a huge gust flew out towards the ocean past the pier. It got about twenty-five feet out before the wind died down. He kneeled and panted.

'_Oh man. Not far enough._' He thought as he got up.

It's been two days since Keoni arrived and Izzy's been training hard. While waiting for deliveries to be made, he would step out behind the Shack and create huge gusts to train. He also did many things to train his body. He had to be prepared for anything.

"Hey Izzy!" Otto said, making him jump up in surprise. So much for being prepared for anything…

"What?" He hissed.

"Delivery. And what was that about?"

"Nothing." Izzy replied, avoiding the subject. He walked inside and grabbed a bag from Ray. He immediately used Rocket Accel and ran out to make the delivery. He came back a few moments later and went to the back again.

"Ok. A little farther this time." He raised his left fist and started to focus energy. The winds swirled around again and he launched the attack towards the sea again. The wind only went about thirty feet. He was pushed back as a result of the attack. He landed backwards on the ground.

'_Ouch… Still not good enough!_' He shook his head and stood up.

"Izzy! Delivery!" He heard Ray yell. Izzy growled and went to make the delivery. He zoomed back and forth at least ten times after that.

When he came back the tenth time, he skidded to a stop in front of the Shack. He nearly collapsed, but he regained his composure. Breathing hard, he went inside past Keoni (who just showed up) and into the back.

'_I guess this idea isn't working out as well as I planned._' He thought as he prepared to charge another attack. The winds swirled, but as he held his hands out, only a light breeze followed. He gasped and kneeled again.

'_I must be overexerting myself. Fine. No more training until I recover. I'll just make deliveries and start again tomorrow._' He then walked inside. He was still panting as he leaned against the wall.

"Are you ok, cuz?" Keoni asked with concern.

"Yes—::Pant::—I'm—::Wheeze::—Ok." Izzy replied breathlessly.

"Delivery." Ray said.

"You gotta be kidding." Izzy muttered as he walked up to Ray and grabbed the bag. He left & started jogging, but he soon discovered something wrong.

'_I'm not moving!?_' He thought as he went to Speed Two. He didn't move an inch. Finally, he used Rocket Accel. He STILL didn't move! He stopped and fell on the ground.

"What happened? I couldn't move at all." Izzy looked behind him. Keoni was holding on to his cape the whole time!

'_How did he—!?_' He thought as he stood up. "Mind telling me why you held on to my cape like that?"

"You're tired." was the Hawaiian boy's response.

"I'm aware of that, but I have to make this delivery. It's my job."

"That doesn't matter. You need to take a break. Otherwise, you'll hurt yourself." Izzy gave Keoni a confused look.

'_I hardly know the guy! Why's he doing this?_' He thought.

"Listen, I'll make the delivery and then we'll go out so that you can recover." Keoni said. Izzy stared wide-eyed.

"But—"

"He's right, Izzy. Take the rest of the day off. You've been doing way too much." Ray said. "Otto'll do the rest of the deliveries today."

"**What!?**" Otto yelled. Ray shot him a glare. He shut up instantly.

"Look, I'll do this delivery and then I'll come back." Keoni said as he grabbed the food Izzy had and skated off in his roller blades. The caped boy walked over to the counter.

"What's with him?" He asked as he got some soda. "We hardly know each other and he seemed really concerned about my health." He took a sip. The two Rockets, plus Tito glanced at each other and stayed silent.

"Well?" They still wouldn't talk. "-- Ok. What's with the silent treatment?"

"Nothing." They all said. Izzy didn't buy it.

"He's not a psychopath by any chance, is he?" He was clearly glaring now.

"Well, no... It's just, well..." Tito started.

"Yes...?"

"It's just that he's—"

"Back!" Keoni said cheerfully. "You ready to go?"

"But—" Izzy started, but Keoni grabbed him and started dragging him out by the arm. He looked back with a pained look and mouthed, "Help." The others just smiled and waved good bye.

Outside, Adrian was walking by when he noticed Izzy struggling against Keoni's grip.

"Wonder what's going on." He said as he hid behind the Shack.

"Hey. If you want me to go with ya, fine, but don't drag me!" He heard Izzy say as he stood up. He almost fell, but Keoni quickly caught him. Adrian gasped as he saw Izzy blush.

'_The HELL!? Just_ _who is this guy that's messing around with my best friend and crush?!_' He thought with bitter jealously. He watched the scene some more.

"Obviously, it's hard for you to stand. You really shouldn't have overdone it, brah. I'll let you lean on my shoulder." Keoni said. Izzy blushed and growled something, but he complied and leaned on the other boy. Adrian was seething.

'_Oh HELL no! I'm not gonna let him be taken by some skater!_' He then got an evil grin on his face. '_I'll just have to ruin their little date. Izzy'll hate that guy and love me! Mwahahahaha!!!!_' He followed the two.

"How about we go to the amusement park first?" Keoni asked as they started to walk again.

"Ok. I've never actually visited this part of the pier before." Izzy replied.

"Oh you'll love it!" Keoni said. They then entered the park and bought some tickets. "Let's go on the ferris wheel first. The air should help you recover." They started to walk to the line.

'_Wow. This guy is so nice. Who knew a simple thing like giving a welcoming bouquet could have someone pay you back so well?_' Izzy thought while they waited.

------------------------

'_Ok. Where are they?_' Adrian thought as he entered Dream Park.

(A/N: Just to clarify, that's the name of the amusement park.)

He then noticed them waiting in line for the ferris wheel.

'_Oh crap! The ferris wheel!? That guy's faster than I thought._' He looked at the ferris wheel with an evil grin. '_But not faster than the ferris wheel itself._' He walked towards the big ride.

Soon, it was Keoni and Izzy's turn to get on.

"It's nice to know that this is a slow ride." Izzy said as they sat down. "It's a good way to start." He leaned back into the chair to get comfortable. Keoni gave him a smile.

'_I guess he liked my idea. Cool._' He thought. The ride then began.

On the ground, Adrian was standing underneath the wheel with an evil smirk.

'_Heh. I hope they like it fast._' He thought while taking out his wand. It was red-orange, slightly crooked, and the top was made out to look like a fireball. '_Just gotta wait for the right moment._'

Their car reached the top and stopped. Izzy took a deep breath and looked around.

"Wow! Everything looks fantastic!" He exclaimed.

'_Not as fantastic as you._' Keoni thought. The ferris wheel started to move again.

"So tell me. What do you prefer? Guys or girls?" He asked.

------------------------

"Ok. They're coming down now." Adrian said. He pointed his wand at the ferris wheel's motor. "Speed increase!" The tip of his wand glowed.

------------------------

"Well, you see, I like—" Izzy started. Just then, the wheel started spinning incredibly fast. Everybody started screaming. "Ahhhh! Since when did a ferris wheel go this faaaaaaassssst!?!?!?!"

"I don't knoooooooow!!!!!" Keoni yelled. The wheel kept going faster and faster. Everybody hung on for dear life. After a few minutes, it slowed down and stopped with their car at the exit. The two teens were let off and they walked with their eyes spinning.

"Ugh. All those colors..." Izzy groaned.

"Yeah..." Keoni replied with a dazed tone.

"Oh no..." Izzy clutched his stomach. "Gain way!" He ran to the nearest garbage can with Keoni in tow.

One puking later…

"Ugh... I'm never going on another ferris wheel as long as I live." Izzy groaned after taking his head out of the garbage can.

"Yeah. I hear ya loud and clear, brah." Keoni replied while rubbing his back. A little farther back, Adrian cursed.

'_Damn it! That plan didn't work at all! The next one will though._' He thought as he listened in.

"How about we try a game? That might help you relax." Keoni offered.

"Ok. Just a sec." Izzy plunged his head in the can again.

------------------------

"Hmph. That first plan might've failed, but this next one will definitely make Izzy hate that home wrecker!" Adrian said with an evil laugh. He was in one of the booths in the midway. The one where you toss a ball at three empty milk bottles.

"Thanks to the spell I cast on some of these balls, that human will throw them and they'll turn around and hit Izzy. I may be causing my beloved pain, but it'll be worth it." He put on a fake mustache along with a uniform he stole. He turned around and walked out back, where a person, tied up and in his underwear, was trying to escape.

"Thank you, human, for the uniform. But I must say, your boss has no fashion sense." Adrian turned and went back inside.

------------------------

"Which game should we play?" Izzy asked, now walking without leaning on Keoni anymore. It was clear that the smaller boy missed the warmth.

"I don't know. Most of them seem to be full." Keoni replied.

"Come one, come all! Play the best game this side of Ocean Shores!" They heard someone yell. "The ever-popular milk bottle game!"

(A/N: What's the name of that game, anyway?)

"Let's go play." Izzy said. They walked over to the booth, which was the only vacant one there.

"Ah! I see that we have a couple of _friends_ ready to play." Adrian said with much emphasis on 'friends.' "Perhaps a little _friendly_ competition is in order?"

"Sure." Izzy replied, not noticing the slightly hurt look on Keoni's face. "How much to play?"

"Free of charge." Adrian replied while taking out six balls. He placed three in front of Izzy, who was on the left and the other three in front of Keoni, who was on the right. "You guys take turns throwing the balls."

"Ok. Why don't you go first, Keoni?" Izzy asked. Adrian gave a grimace.

'_What kinda name is that!?_' He thought.

"Alright." Keoni replied. He picked up a ball.

'_Perfect. Now toss it._' Adrian thought with an evil glint in his eyes. Keoni gave the ball a wind up and the pitch…

::SMASH!::

It knocked over the bottles?

'_Oh crap…_' Adrian thought as he gave a nervous glance towards Izzy. '_Maybe I just mixed up one of the balls?_'

"Good one. Now it's my turn." Izzy said as he picked up one of the balls and threw it. The ball made it to the bottles, but just as it was about to hit them…

::BONK!::

It turned around and hit him square across the face.

"Ouch!" He grabbed Adrian by the collar. "Just what are you trying to pull?!"

"N-Nothing. I'm terribly sorry about that, sir." Adrian replied nervously. "How about another shot?" Izzy picked up another ball.

'_Heh. There's no way I mixed up TWO balls._' Adrian thought. Izzy tossed it.

::WHAM!::

He rubbed the forming bruise on his forehead and gave Adrian a glare that promised death.

"Heh, heh… One more try?" Adrian tried nervously.

"If I get hit one more time, you'll pay." Izzy threatened. He then picked up the last ball.

'_This time I'll put a little power behind it._' He thought as his hand glowed orange. Adrian's eyes widened.

'_He wouldn't._' Izzy tossed it.

------------------------

"Ugh... What happened?" Izzy asked as he woke up in the first aid tent. His forehead was bandaged up and his hat laid beside him. Keoni was sitting by him.

"You got knocked out by a ball with an attitude problem." He replied.

"Oh yeah... Where is that guy?" Izzy started to stand up, but he stumbled until Keoni caught him again.

"He ran away after you got hit." He said. Izzy groaned and put on his hat after he regained his balance. "Wanna try the roller coaster?"

"Ok. I just hope nothing happens this time." They then left the tent.

------------------------

'_Alright. That was just a little mishap._' Adrian thought. He was in his regular clothes again. '_I hope Izzy's ok._'

"Come on, Izzy! We can get on the roller coaster right away if we hurry!" He heard Keoni yell.

"I'm coming! Don't let them start without me!" Izzy replied as the two ran past Adrian.

'_The roller coaster, huh? I always thought Izzy hated roller coasters._' With a shrug, he went after them.

------------------------

Keoni & Izzy got in the first car while Adrian went under the roller coaster.

"Ok now. I'll just wait until the right moment and then I'll blast part of the track." Adrian muttered. "Hey. Wouldn't I wind up killing Izzy too!?"

(Me: Uhhh… He'd defend himself before the crash?)

"Oh, ok." He got ready. The roller coaster then started off by going fast and climbed up a hill very slowly.

'_What the hell was I thinking? I hate roller coasters!_' Izzy thought as he awaited the drop. '_And I just HAD to wind up in the front._' He gave a glance to Keoni, who had a nervous look on his face. He shrugged.

'_Heh. At least I'm not alone._' The coaster then dipped and went down the hill at blinding speeds. Izzy had his eyes closed and was screaming at the top of his lungs, as was Keoni. The coaster dipped again and made a few sharp turns, all the more frightful to the two teens. The coaster started to make another lap around the track as Adrian started charging energy.

"Wait for it..." The coaster climbed up the hill and started to descend. "Now!" He fired a beam at the bottom of the hill. With a small explosion, part of the track broke off.

"What's that!?" Keoni yelled.

"What's what?" Izzy asked as he opened his eyes. "OO THE TRACK'S GONE!!!!" Everybody else started screaming in a panic.

'_Gotta do something._' He thought as his hand started to get that cold feeling again.

"Ice Beam!" He held out his hand and fired at the missing part of the track. The beam made an icy replacement as the roller coaster went over it safely. It stopped and everybody got off.

'_Crap! I forgot he had that ability._' Adrian thought as he slapped his forehead.

"Whew! That was close." Izzy said as he sat down at a bench, panting.

"Yeah. I guess you still haven't recovered." Keoni said as he sat next to Izzy. "What was that you did, anyway?"

"It was my Ice Beam. I can channel cold energy into my hands and fire it."

"What are you then?"

"Oh, I'm a wizard." Izzy replied.

'_That explains what Otto meant the other day._' Keoni thought. He then stood up and held his hand out to the other boy. "Well, do you want to go on any more rides?" Izzy took his hand and stood up.

"Actually, I wouldn't mind going someplace else if that's ok with you."

"Sure. Would you like to try surfing?"

"Surfing?" Izzy asked. Keoni nodded. "I don't know... I don't even have the right clothes for it. I can always watch you and cheer you on though."

"Ok. Let's go back to the Shack and I'll change." Keoni said. They started to leave the park. "Hey wait."

"Yeah?" Izzy stopped.

"We're still holding hands." Izzy looked down and noticed that they were indeed still holding hands. With his face flaring up, he looked at Keoni and noticed a sort of longing in his eyes.

'_Those eyes…_' He thought. He felt himself drawn to them.

------------------------

"Ugh. I hate the amusement park." Adrian said as he walked towards the exit. It was then that he noticed the potential scene developing in front of him. "Oh crap!" He ran towards the two boys.

'_Is this really happening?_' Izzy asked himself as he was mere inches from Keoni's lips.

"Coming through!" Adrian yelled as he brushed past Izzy and made him fall backwards.

"Ow..." He groaned as he picked himself up.

"You alright?" Keoni asked, disappointed that the moment was ruined.

"Yeah." Izzy replied. He started walking towards the Shack, followed by the smaller brunet.

------------------------

"So how was the amusement park, cuz?" Tito asked.

"Ugh. It was a nightmare." Izzy replied. "First, we went on the world's _fastest_ ferris wheel and got sick. Then, I wound up in the first aid tent after playing a game with rogue balls!"

"You know how dangerous those carnival games can be." Ray said thoughtfully.

"And then, when we went on the roller coaster, part of the track broke!" Everybody gasped. "But I used my Ice Beam to get through that one."

"What are you guys gonna do now?" Otto asked.

"Oh, Keoni's gonna surf a bit and I'm gonna watch him." Izzy replied. Just then, Keoni came down.

"Ready to go?" He asked.

"Yeah..." Izzy said as he got a look at Keoni. He had a green surfboard under his right arm. He was wearing a pair of blue swimming trunks with waves pictured on them. Izzy felt his face burning up again as he realized that Keoni wasn't wearing a shirt! He got a good look at Keoni's well defined muscles before sheepishly turning away. Keoni hid a grin as Izzy got up and joined him.

"See ya later." He said and they left.

------------------------

"This is the life." Izzy sighed as he prepared his seat at the beach. He took off his cape and laid it out to use as a towel. He took off his shoes & socks and placed them at two corners of the cape. Despite the blinding sun, he wasn't wearing his sunglasses. He wanted to make sure that Keoni didn't think he was ignoring him or something. He wanted to make sure Keoni had his full and unwavering attention. After all, it's only right to do something like that after he got Izzy off working, right?

'_But still, what was going to happen back at the amusement park?_' Izzy thought as he went back to what happened mere seconds before he got knocked over. '_Was I about to—_' He shook his head and went back to watching Keoni take on the waves. He went through the tubes with ease and rarely wiped out.

------------------------

"Ok. Where'd they go now?" Adrian asked as he walked right in front of the Shack. "Ahhh! There he is." He said as he spotted Izzy sitting on the beach. "But where's the other guy?" He looked towards the waves and saw Keoni surfing. Adrian got a thoughtful look on him.

"So he's a surfer as well?" He grinned. "This'll be perfect." He walked down the ramp as Reggie, Sam, and Twister approached the scene. They stopped in front of the Shack and saw Adrian walking under the pier.

"What's Izzy doing walking under the pier?" Twister asked as the blue cape disappeared under the pier.

"That's not Izzy. He's right there." Reggie said, pointing to Izzy, who was intently watching Keoni surf.

"Then who's that?" Twister asked, referring to the guy in the blue cape.

"I don't know." Sam answered. "Think he might be another wizard?"

"Beats me. Let's just watch in case something happens." Reggie said. The trio walked to the railing.

"Heh. Izzy's not the only one who can use spells that aren't a part of his element, whatever that is." Adrian said as he started to concentrate. He pointed his wand in the direction of Keoni, unaware of the three humans watching & listening from above.

------------------------

"Nice one, Keoni!" Izzy yelled as Keoni soared through the air and landed on a wave without falling off. He started going to the right, where the wave started dying down. He started paddling a little to the left to catch the next wave.

------------------------

"Whirlpool!" Adrian yelled. A nearly invisible light shot from his wand towards the water a few feet ahead of Keoni. The light caused a small whirlpool to appear.

"Oh crap!" Reggie gasped as she saw the watery vortex. "Watch out, Keoni!" She yelled with all her might.

"Huh?" Izzy said as he cast a glance at Reggie. "Wonder what she's screaming about. Whatever it was, it had to do with Keoni." He stood up and took a look at Keoni. That was when he saw the whirlpool.

"Oh. Just a whirlpool. Nothing to worry about." He sat down. He then jumped up and his eyes bulged. They grew to at least twenty times their natural size. A fog horn was heard in the background.

"WHIRLPOOL!?!?!" He started running. "Water Shield!" His barrier appeared as he hit the water and started running at Speed Two ON the surface towards Keoni. He jumped over the waves and then reached the surfer.

"Hey brah. What are you doing here?" Keoni asked.

"Oh nothing…unless you count the whirlpool you're heading for!" Izzy replied. Keoni looked ahead and finally noticed the vortex.

"What the—!?"

"Quick! Grab on!" Izzy yelled as lowered his shield and held his hand out for Keoni to grab. Keoni grabbed on and he started running away from the whirlpool.

"Oh no you don't!" Adrian yelled as he concentrated again. This time, he aimed his wand out to sea. "Tidal wave!" He shot another light and a gigantic wave started forming. It headed straight for them!

"Aww man! This just isn't my day!" Izzy groaned as he noticed the monster of a wave. "We better get outta here." He turned towards shore.

"Wait. Turn around." Keoni said.

"What!?"

"You only dream of getting waves like that! I wanna ride it and I can show you a first hand look at surfing."

"Are you sure about this?" Izzy asked as he glanced back at Keoni.

"Yeah." Keoni replied. Izzy shook his head.

"You're crazy. Hang on tight!" He jumped and turned towards the wave. He then sped off.

------------------------

"What is he doing!?" Adrian asked. "He'll get killed!"

"He's lost it!" Reggie said up above.

"The odds of them surviving are slim to nil!" Sam yelled.

"Who cares about them?!" Twister screamed. "We're toast when that wave hits!"

"Hey guys. What's up?" Otto asked as he approached the frightened trio. He then noticed the tidal wave. "What the—?!" He saw Izzy running towards it with Keoni in tow. "What are they doing!?"

"It looks like—" Adrian started down below.

"They're going to—" Sam added.

"Ride—" Twister said.

"The—" Reggie supplied.

"Wave! That's so unfair!" Otto yelled. Izzy started going up the vertical wave.

"We're almost at the top!" He yelled. He started to struggle against gravity.

"Don't give up!" Keoni said. Izzy used Rocket Accel and got closer to the top.

"Ok. When we reach the top, I'll jump and you'll get in front of me." He said. "Have your surfboard ready 'cause I'll disengage the bottom of the shield to surf. I really hope you know what you're doing."

"Don't worry." Keoni said. Izzy then broke through the top of the wave.

"Now!" He jumped up and Keoni walked underneath him and stood on the board. Izzy landed behind and held on to Keoni. "Here goes nothing!" He opened the bottom of the shield and started to get wet.

"Wahoo!" Keoni yelled as he went across the tidal wave with ease.

"We're doing it?" Izzy asked incredulously. Keoni went up and down the wave. "We're actually doing it! YES!!!" Keoni went through the top of the wave and just kept going. Nothing can stop him!

------------------------

"Yeah Keoni! Rip it up!" Twister cheered.

"Show that wave who's boss!" Reggie yelled.

"Just get through in one piece!" Sam yelled, covering his eyes.

"Hmph!" Otto grumbled, crossing his arms.

"I don't believe it." Adrian said in disbelief. "That guy's actually riding a TIDAL WAVE!?!?!" He started jumping in frustration. He then stopped.

"Hey. If I'm down here, that means—!" He looked at the wave. "I'll drown! I have to stop that wave!" His wand glowed.

------------------------

"See, Izzy, there was nothing to worry about." Keoni said. Izzy didn't say anything. He just leaned into Keoni's back. Keoni smiled at the sign of affection. Or was it fear? Just then, the wave broke! The two looked down and then at each other.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!" They screamed as they started falling from hundreds of feet in the air.

"Oh my God! We'll drown!" Keoni yelled.

"'_Don't worry,_' he says. Hmph!" Izzy said with his arms crossed. He closed the bottom of his Water Shield. "We can't drown. My shield has an infinite air supply." Just then, they hit the water with a huge splash. On the pier, the four teens held up some signs. Reggie, Twister, and Sam's had a 10.0 on them and Otto's had a 5.0.

"Why the low score, Rocket Boy?" Reggie asked. "That was a perfect splash."

"They stole my wave." Otto replied. Reggie rolled her eyes.

Underwater, Keoni & Izzy were walking along the sea floor.

"That was close." Keoni said.

"Yeah. What could've caused that wave though?" Izzy asked. "I didn't even know tsunamis occurred here."

"Maybe it happens once every so often?" Keoni shrugged.

"Maybe..." Izzy said with a doubtful tone. '_What could've caused that?_'

"Well anyway, thank you for allowing me to experience my lifelong dream." Keoni said after a while. "I totally owe it to ya and I have an idea for our next activity."

"Good for you. As for me, I think I'll take a little rest before our next outing." Izzy replied. They got back on shore and he collapsed on his cape.

A little later…

"Are you sure this is a good idea!?" Izzy yelled. Now they were at Mad Town on top of the half pipe. He was wearing his cape again, as well as some knee and elbow guards and a helmet. A skateboard was underneath his left foot.

"Yeah! How could you learn to skateboard if you don't try, cuz?" Keoni replied. He was standing next to Izzy, who put a hand to his chin.

"Good point. Besides, what could possibly happen here?"

"Right. So get going!" Keoni pushed Izzy off. The wizard quickly put his other foot on the board and went down the side real fast. He reached the other side and performed a flip, then went down and came back to Keoni. Izzy landed and gave a look of disbelief.

"Did I do that?"

"Yeah! You're a natural!" Keoni said. Full of encouragement, Izzy went back down and started skating with ease.

'_No wonder Otto defended skateboarding that day. This is fun!_' He thought as he used the end of the board to grind the edge of the half pipe. He then went back to Keoni.

"Man you're good. I'm gonna go skate for a while. Call if ya need me." Keoni left the half pipe and started skating around on his blades. Izzy gave a smile before going back to taking on the half pipe.

------------------------

"Oy! First nothing worked out in the amusement park and then I almost killed Izzy at the beach. He seems to be liking that surfer even more! What am I doing wrong?" Adrian mused. He was looking out towards the ocean when he heard a lot of cheering. Curious, he walked towards Mad Town to see what was up, but the crowd was too big. He went up to the pier and looked. Izzy was ripping it up and putting on a show for the spectators. Keoni was nearby, watching and cheering. Adrian gave a growl.

"Since when did Izzy skateboard?" He shook his head. "Doesn't matter. I'll have to think of some way to mess this up." He stared at Izzy, who was going so fast that when he reached one end of the half pipe, he would fly up, do a spin, and land on the other end of the half pipe, only to do it again. Adrian gave a gasp at the performance.

'_Damn, he's good. That's why I love him._'

"Wow, Keoni! This was a great idea!" Izzy yelled over the crowd. Adrian growled again.

"Hmmm… If I make that board disappear, Izzy will fall and he'll blame it on that surf bum. Heh heh." He then got his wand ready.

At the Shack...

"So it was a wizard that made that huge wave?" Ray asked.

"Yeah. And Keoni tore it up with Izzy behind him!" Otto yelled. He went back to sobbing. Ray raised an eyebrow and turned to Reggie.

"What's his problem, Rocket Girl?"

"Oh he wasn't able to take on the wave." Reggie said indifferently.

"Hey! Isn't that the wizard from before?" Sam asked. Everybody stepped out and saw Adrian preparing to attack. He had the soaring Izzy in his sights.

"He's a sitting duck!" Twister yelled.

"He's dead meat!" Reggie added.

"He's…getting so much air!" Otto said. Everybody looked at him with an eyebrow raised.

------------------------

"Wee! This is so fun!" Izzy yelled as he did a 360 in the air.

"Enjoy your fun, but soon it will end & I'll look like a hero." Adrian muttered. "I thought about making him fall, but I'll just save him by making him disappear & reappear before me." His wand started glowing.

"I'm soaring like an eagle! Flying like an angel! Flying—" Izzy yelled.

::Poof!::

The board disappeared and he got a horrified look on him. He then looked down.

"Where'd the board go!?" He started flapping his arms like wings to prevent himself from falling.

On the ground, the board appeared by Keoni. He picked it up and looked at Izzy.

"Aw man!"

"And now to save him." Adrian said. His wand started to glow again. "Azarath metreon..." Izzy's body started to glow white as he continued flapping. "Zeth—"

"Coming through!" Otto yelled as he crashed into Adrian, breaking the spell. Izzy stopped glowing as he stopped flapping his arms. He looked down again and turned to the camera.

"Heh heh. Help?" He started to fall. "AAAAAAAIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!"

"I got ya, Izzy!" Keoni yelled as he skated to the middle of the half pipe with his arms open. He made the grab! And the crowd goes wild!

"Keoni… You saved…ugh." Izzy fainted.

"I WAS SO CLOSE!!!" Adrian roared as he stomped the ground in fury.

Later…

"What a day it's been, huh?" Izzy asked. He and Keoni were taking a lunch break at a pizzeria. They were on line, getting ready to order their food.

"Yeah. From that game in the amusement park to that skateboard accident. It's been crazy!" Keoni replied. "Worst of all, you still haven't recovered your energy yet. I'm sorry." He turned away.

"Don't blame yourself." Izzy said. He made Keoni face him. "Those were just freak accidents. More than I'd like to go through in a lifetime, but freak accidents nonetheless. Besides, we still got the rest of the day ahead of us."

"Izzy..."

"Keoni, everything will get better. I'm sure of it." It was then their turn to order. "I want a pepperoni slice."

"And I'll have a Hawaiian slice." Keoni ordered. The two went to a table.

"Order." The clerk gruffly said to his new employee, the ever vigilant "destroyer" of love, Adrian! He got the paper with the order and prepared the pizza.

"Heh heh. One pepperoni and one Hawaiian slice, eh? I know that Izzy loves pepperoni and it's _soooo_ obvious who the other slice is for." Adrian laughed evilly.

(Me: oO Uhh… when was it established to you that he was Hawaiian?)

"Heh heh—huh? Good point." Adrian scratched his head. "Anyway, here's the plan: I'm gonna poison his slice! Mwahahaha!!!"

(Me: ¬¬ Oh how original.)

"Shaddap." He then poured a purplish liquid on Keoni's slice and put it and Izzy's slice in the oven. A minute later, the slices were nice and toasty and ready to serve.

(A/N: I doubt this would need explaining, but here goes. In a pizzeria, the slices are already made. They're just cold. So when you order a slice or two, they just heat it up in the oven and it's ready within two minutes! Cool, huh?)

Adrian, in his fake mustache, walked over to the table where Keoni & Izzy were sitting and placed the pizzas down. Keoni grabbed his and Adrian had a look of pure triumph as the slice went ever so slowly towards his mouth. Horror music was playing in the background.

"Wait." Izzy said. A record was heard scratching. The other two looked at him. "This may sound a bit odd, Keoni, but I was wondering. Would ya like to trade slices? I've never tried a Hawaiian pizza before."

"Sure!" Keoni replied happily. Adrian's mouth dropped as the two traded pizzas. The horror music started playing again as Izzy's new slice started going towards his mouth.

"Wait!" Adrian yelled. The record scratched again. "Before you eat your meal, I would like to sing you a song from my native country of Italy." Izzy looked at him closely.

"You don't look Italian." He said simply.

"Alright! I was born in New York! I'm still Italian though!" Adrian defended.

"Be that as it may, I would rather skip the song." Izzy then made to bite the slice again.

"Wait—Oh screw it!" Adrian grabbed Izzy's slice and started running.

"What the—! Get back here!" Izzy yelled as he and Keoni started running after Adrian. They ran all around the restaurant, knocking over people's pizzas and getting everyone dirty. After a few minutes of this, Izzy finally tackled Adrian, knocking the slice away and into a potted plant. The plant immediately died and lit on fire. All three of them stared wide-eyed at the fire. Izzy and Keoni then glared at Adrian.

"WHAT THE HELL!?!" The clerk yelled as he saw the mess. The trio turned and faced the big man, whose eyes were burning with extreme rage. All three of them huddled in a corner.

Cut to a view of outside...

"GET OUT OF HERE!!!" The big guy yelled as he gave all three of them the royal boot. They all landed in a heap on the boardwalk. They groaned as they all stood up. Izzy glared at Adrian again.

"Why you—!"

"Yipe!" Adrian yelled as Izzy started chasing him all around.

------------------------

And now, a montage of scenes.

A little further down the boardwalk, Keoni & Izzy had their heads in one of those picture thingies. You know, the ones that make you look like a vampire or something while your head is out. Anyway, Izzy's head was in a cut out of a football headed boy and Keoni's was in the cut out of a girl wearing a pink dress. Adrian was the photographer. The button for the shutter was actually a remote for the guillotine above Keoni. Just as Adrian pressed the button, Keoni sneezed and flew away from the cut out mere seconds before it can chop his head off.

Next, Keoni & Izzy went to Sno-Mart to try out the mini mountain they had there. Keoni got about halfway up before his safety line "mysteriously" snapped and he started falling. Luckily, Izzy caught him by the foot. Adrian cursed and kicked the mountain. A few rocks got knocked loose and landed on him.

Finally, Keoni & Izzy were racing in go-karts with Adrian in hot pursuit. The blue caped wizard had a spiny shell and was getting ready to launch it at Keoni, who was in first place. His shell was filled to the brim with explosives. He got ready to toss it when Keoni slipped on a banana peel, courtesy of Izzy, and accidentally fired a green shell at him. The black caped wizard tripped up and Adrian got into first place as he accidentally dropped the shell while making a sharp turn.

::BOOM!::

He got knocked into the stratosphere.

(A/N: Too many references… Anyway, for those who don't know what went on in that last scene, let me break it down. This was a reference to the game Mario Kart 64, a classic. Anyway, there's this item called a spiny shell, which attacks the one who's in first place, regardless of how far the shell was fired. If you happen to accidentally use the shell when you get in first place, it would turn around and blast you. That's why Adrian got blown up when he used the shell. Oh, and to explain how they were able to use those items in the first place, errr… A wizard did it! Heh heh…)

And now, we go back to normal time flow.

"Where are we now?" Izzy asked. He & Keoni were standing in front of a building, which had a flying saucer embedded in the roof.

"This is Laser Crater, a place where you play Laser Tag." Keoni replied. They went inside and walked up to the register. An all-too-familiar face appeared.

"Welcome to Laser Crater. Wanna play?" The "clerk" asked.

"Do I know you?" Izzy asked as he got a close look at the clerk. Adrian got a nervous look.

"Uhhh... nope. You must be mistaking me for someone else. Do ya wanna play or what?"

"Of course! How much?" Keoni asked.

"Five bucks. Take it or leave it." Adrian replied rudely. Keoni handed him the money, which he put in his own pocket. Adrian took out two laser tag thingies. (I don't know what they look like, Ok!?!)

"Here ya go. Just hit your opponent three times within the time limit and ya win!" He handed them the harnesses. "Good luck." The two customers went through the nearby door into the playing arena. Adrian cackled insanely.

"This is too perfect! Once Izzy fires the special 'laser' at that twerp, he'll melt into a glob of human goop. Best of all, there's no one here to stop me!" Just then, Reggie & Sam walked inside. "Sorry. We're closed."

"But—" Reggie started.

"BACK OFF!!!" Adrian roared.

------------------------

"Woah. Impressive." Izzy said in awe as he looked around his surroundings. The whole place looked like the surface of the moon. There were jagged peaks everywhere and it was kinda dark. The ceiling was painted to make it look like the dark coldness of space. The AC was even on high to simulate that cold feeling!

'_This is the perfect opportunity to—_' Keoni shook his head at the dirty thought he was getting. "So, how do you wanna do this?" Izzy turned to look at him.

"I guess we separate and then we come looking for each other after we count to ten."

"Ok." Keoni replied and the two separated, giving them time to think.

'_Man, what's with today!?_' Izzy thought as he walked around. '_Everything that we tried to do practically blew up in our faces! It's surprising that Keoni's been putting up with me all this time!_' He passed by a cave.

'_It's odd. Since earlier today, he's been trying to get me to recover my energy, but in almost everything we did, I used up that energy to save us from some odd happening. Why does he care so much when we only met two days ago?_' Izzy leaned against a wall.

'_It can't be because of that welcoming bouquet I gave him. If it was me helping him, I would've left him alone after that whole tidal wave thing, but he stayed with me the whole time, trying to get me to relax._' His eyes then widened.

'_Wait. Is it possible that he…likes me? It would make perfect sense if that were the case._' He went over the day's events. Keoni's willingness to exchange pizzas with him. Keoni saving him from certain death. And who could forget what was about to happen at Dream Park? Izzy blushed and smiled.

'_So he likes me? I think I like him too. It's a shame that he'll have to leave at the end of the week. I'd gladly go back with him to Hawaii if I wasn't cursed._' He had a saddened look on his face, which quickly turned to a look of determination.

'_It's for the best. I refuse for him to be here when the king arrives._' He then started to count. '_I guess I can always date him until the end of the week._'

------------------------

'_Oh Izzy, why did all this stuff happen?_' Keoni thought with misery as he walked. '_I only wanted you to recover and like me, but everything we did turned upside down. That whole thing at the game booth, the roller coaster, and the pizzeria, as well as everywhere else we went. I hope nothing goes wrong here. I want to be able to date you before I have to go back._' He started to count.

------------------------

"Man! Why haven't I heard any screams yet!?" Adrian asked impatiently. He walked into the arena to see what was going on.

"Ten!" He heard Keoni & Izzy yell and the match was under way.

Izzy crept around, trying to get the jump on his opponent, but Keoni was nowhere to be found.

::BUZZ!::

"Ack!" He yelled as his harness flashed.

"Ha! One down, two to go!" Keoni yelled. He moved from his hiding place on top of one of the hills before Izzy even saw him.

"Ugh! Where'd he go?" He asked as he walked around some more. He then noticed Keoni standing a few feet ahead. He had his back turned. Izzy got his laser ready to fire.

"Finally, the moment of truth." Adrian said as he witnessed the scene. Izzy would've fired the deadly laser if someone hadn't bumped into him.

"Watch it, kid." He said to the tiny interloper.

"Sorry about that." The kid sheepishly said before running off. Adrian slapped his head.

"I forgot there were already other people here."

"Now back to business." Izzy said as he turned around to fire, but Keoni was nowhere to be seen! "Uh-oh..."

::BUZZ!::

"One more chance!" Keoni's voice yelled as Izzy aimed his laser and fired. A bright orange beam shot out and struck a rock that was over Adrian's head. The blue caped wizard looked up.

"Crap."

::CRASH!::

------------------------

It was now sunset and Keoni had walked Izzy to the Rockets' house. They stopped at the door and looked at each other.

"Izzy, I'm sorry about all that happened. It's my fault your energy hasn't recovered." Keoni said sadly. He turned his face away.

"Don't blame yourself." Izzy said as he turned Keoni's face towards him. "Like I said before, you couldn't have possibly known any of those things were going to happen." His hand was still on the other boy's face. "Besides, I had a lot of fun. I even came to a conclusion."

"What?" Keoni asked. Izzy started moving towards him.

"I think I like you." He whispered before planting his lips on Keoni's. Keoni was shocked, but he closed his eyes as the two embraced and kept the kiss up for as long as possible. Izzy's body started to glow and he opened his eyes. The two separated for air. Izzy looked at his hands as they stopped glowing.

"I...recovered?" He jumped up and down. "I recovered! I'm not feeling tired anymore!" He grabbed Keoni's hands and started dancing. "You helped me recover!" He laughed.

"But how?" Keoni asked as Izzy let go.

"It must've been the kiss. Somehow, it was that that allowed me to recover my energy." Izzy grasped Keoni's hands again. "Thank you. You really did help me."

"No problem." Keoni replied. "So you really like me?" At Izzy's nod, the two shared a light kiss.

"Keoni, will you go out with me? At least until you have to go back to Hawaii?"

"You bet!" They embraced and kissed again. Just then, an ambulance rolled by and dropped off Adrian, who had a seriously POed look on his face.

"Hey Adrian. What happened to you?" Izzy asked. Adrian took out his wand and fired a stream of fire at the couple. Izzy stepped in front of Keoni and held up his arms.

"Fire Shield!" A red barrier rose up and the flames were blocked. "What's with you?!"

"I have been TRYING to mess up your little date all day and nothing worked!" Adrian screamed.

"oO Date? What date?" Izzy asked. "Keoni here has been trying to help me recover my energy all day."

"OO Y-You mean you weren't dating him?" Adrian asked, pointing at Keoni. Izzy shook his head.

"Hold up! You mean _you_ were the one who rigged that game and messed up those rides?" Keoni asked. Adrian nodded.

"And made my skateboard disappear?" Izzy supplied. Again, Adrian nodded. "And you tried to kill us!?!?!"

"It's not what you think. I tried to get _him_." Adrian said and he pointed at Keoni. Izzy was seeing red now and not because of his shield.

"How dare you!? He's my new boyfriend! The least you can do is be happy for me!" He yelled. Adrian gaped at his friend. He was close to tears.

"But—" He started.

"You're mine, Adrian!" Izzy yelled as he ran out of the barrier. He stopped and looked at Adrian with fury. "Here's a little trick I learned from watching an animé."

"Which one?" Keoni asked.

"It was this one about human-sized robots. The show was computerized." Izzy replied. He then reached into his cape. "Oh mana, come to me!" He held his hand out and a strange disc appeared out of thin air and came down over him. The disc was blue and had what seemed like a compass in the middle. A red shield with golden wings on the front emerged from the bottom and landed in Izzy's left hand. He grabbed the shield with his right hand and with his other hand, pulled out a sword from the shield.

"I am Izzy, winged knight of New Jersey!"

"Since when were you even a knight?" Adrian asked.

"Yeah, and what wings?" Keoni added. Izzy looked up at his hat.

"Whoops! Forgot about that." He said. He snapped his fingers and in two puffs of smoke, cardboard wings appeared on his hat. Adrian doubled over, laughing at the sight. Izzy got an angry look on his face.

"Oh yeah? I'll show ya to fear me!" He yelled as he jumped up into the air. His sword started to glow with a golden energy. "Super Magical Violet Tornado!" He pointed the sword at Adrian and a massive wind funnel started coming towards him. The petals of many violets were seen in the attack. Adrian created a barrier of his own to defend himself, but he got swept into the tornado.

"Ugh! How in the world did he do that!?" He asked himself as he tried to cancel out Izzy's attack. "Creating a weapon like that and using an attack that combines two elements? He's come a long way." With a shot of fire magic, Adrian ended the attack. He just floated in the air, ready to strike.

"Here I come! Rocket Accel!" Izzy yelled as he ran towards his friend. Adrian fired at the other wizard, who simply dodged every shot of fire. When he got close enough, he jumped up.

"Light Blade!" He swung his sword and a blade of light was launched at Adrian. The blue caped wizard defended himself again, but the force of the attack blasted him towards the pier. Izzy landed and went back to Keoni.

"Come on. We gotta catch up." His shield & sword disappeared and he grabbed Keoni's hand. "Hang on." He then ran off towards the pier.

------------------------

"AHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Adrian yelled as he landed in front of the Shack with a loud crash.

"What the—!" Everybody yelled as they saw the boy stand up dizzily.

"Easy peasy lemon squeezey…"

"Adrian!" Izzy roared as he and Keoni appeared. He let go of Keoni and charged at the other wizard. "You tried to kill us! DIE!" He threw punches at the no-longer-dazed Adrian. The latter wizard dodged them and started to run. "Get back here!" Izzy fired a lightning bolt.

"Come on, Izzy! Can't ya take a joke?" Adrian yelled as he dodged the bolt. Izzy fired a Power Beam at him. Again, Adrian dodged.

"A joke? You tried to KILL us!" He yelled back as he chased Adrian back and forth.

"What's going on here?" Tito asked as he walked up to Keoni, who sighed contently as he witnessed the chase.

"I think I'm in love." He replied. Izzy started to kick at Adrian. He missed and fired an Ice Beam.

"Get back here, Adrian! I only want to talk!"

"No way! Are ya nuts!?" Adrian replied as he dodged a punch. Izzy made to grab him. Adrian jumped away and started running down the beach. Izzy gave chase.

"You're only making this harder for yourself. I'm faster than you!" He yelled while firing Power Beams at him.

"Izzy! Wait up! You'll lose energy again!" Keoni yelled before he grinned. "And then I'll be able to kiss ya again!" He added as he went after them too, leaving everybody else stunned.

"Uhhh… What did we just see?" Otto asked as Izzy started to yell obscenities at Adrian.

"The end to a whacked out day." Twister answered as Keoni tried to catch up.

"**GET BACK HERE!!!**" Izzy screamed as he jumped in front of the setting sun.

------------------------

A/N:

::Izzy and I are standing on the beach near the pier::

Izzy: AHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!! Toothpaste! I must have toothpaste! ::Runs around frantically:: Mouthwash! An antiseptic! An after dinner mint! Anything to get the horrible taste out of my mouth! ::Falls near me, clutching his throat::

Me: ::Sighs:: Are you finished?

Izzy: ::Stands up and glares at me:: I can't believe you did that to me. We have been partners for nearly two years and you have the nerve to make me gay!?!

Me: Hey, it could've been worse. I could've put you in a dress.

Izzy: But that was just heinous! It would've been much better if you played the jealousy card on Otto and Twister instead of Adrian and I!

Me: ::Shrugs:: You know I don't do depression. At least not a whole lot of it. If I did that idea with Otto and Twister, I would've had to launch Otto into another fit of depression that would've been much worse than what happened when you beat him in the race.

Izzy: How much worse?

Me: ::Gets in a thinking pose:: Suicide?

Izzy: ::Shudders:: But _me_!? You know people hate it when authors have their fan character get with a show's character or, hell, _any_ character!

Me: Boo hoo. Cry me a river.

Keoni: ::Waves at Izzy from near the movie theater:: Come on, Izzy! Sharkenstein's Revenge is about to come on!

Izzy: ::Waves at Keoni:: Coming, my delectable pineapple! ::Turns and grabs my shirt:: I will kill you when this fic is over.

Me: ::Grins:: Have fun. Don't do anything I wouldn't do.

Izzy: Ugh! ::Stomps away::

Me: Anyway, will Otto ever get in on the yaoi action? Find out next time!


	9. Training

Izzy: Hey, I just thought of something.  
  
Me: If you try that Team Rocket stunt again—  
  
Izzy: It's not that! I have a perfectly legit question.  
  
Me: ::Sighs:: Ok. What is it?  
  
Izzy: Why is the sky always yellow? That's kinda odd, don't ya think?  
  
Me: oO Good point… WHY is the sky always yellow anyways? Does every episode take place near sunset or something? To answer this somewhat interesting question, we turn to Sam Dullard, resident nerdy guy. ::Snaps fingers and Sam appears::  
  
Sam: Nerdy guy!?!  
  
Me: Shut up. And now RP & slash fans, we present to you the burning answer to the greatest question ever to befall Mankind!  
  
Izzy: The wrestler?  
  
Me: ¬¬ Uh-huh… Back in this realm… Sam, can you possibly tell those at home the answer to our question?  
  
Sam: Ok… What's the question?  
  
Izzy & I: Oy! ::Slaps foreheads::  
  
Me: Why, OH WHY, is the sky yellow in every episode!?  
  
Sam: OO Good question. Uhhh... smog? No, no. Every episode takes place around sunset. No wait! ::Rambles possibilities::  
  
Me: -- ::Turns to Izzy:: I hate you. You know that, right?  
  
Izzy: Yep! =D  
  
---------------------------  
  
The Runaway Ch. 9: Training  
  
For the rest of the week, Keoni and Izzy went on dates without interference from ANYBODY (Izzy made sure of that)! They must have made out about a million times. Of course, they went no further than that.  
  
(Izzy: TRAITOR!  
  
Me: =P)  
  
Because of their constant outings, Otto was unable to seek help for his situation with Twister. It was now time for Keoni to go back home (Everybody get your hankies ready!).   
  
"NO! DON'T GO!" Izzy begged at the gate, causing people all around to give the group strange looks.  
  
"Come on! Pull yourself together!" Ray yelled as he tried to pick up Izzy from the floor.  
  
"Izzy, you knew this was going to happen." Reggie offered. The kid just kept up the water works.  
  
";; Keoni, how can I possibly live without you!?"  
  
"I don't know, but you'll have to manage. This is hard for me too." Keoni replied. Tears were threatening to fall as well. Izzy immediately got up, knocking Ray to the ground.  
  
"Please don't cry. I wish to remember you exactly like this." They then hugged.  
  
"_The 6:30 flight to Hawaii is now boarding._" An announcer said. Keoni & Izzy separated.  
  
"Go on. You have to go." Izzy said solemnly.

'_He has to go._' He reminded himself. '_You don't want him to get involved._'  
  
"Izzy, thank you for everything." Keoni said as the two shared one last, fleeting kiss. He then walked away, waving at everybody until he was out of sight.  
  
"Will you be alright, cuz?" Tito asked. Izzy was staring at the floor, letting his tears fall. He made no attempt to wipe them.  
  
"Yes. I'll be fine." He replied. Otto gave him a look of understanding. He would feel the same way too if he ever lost his crush. He stole a glance at Twister, who seemed to have the same look as well. He turned back to Izzy.  
  
'_Maybe I **do** have someone to talk to after all._' He thought.  
  
Two days later…  
  
'_Time to go._' Izzy thought as he got up. It was early and the sun barely rose over the horizon. He put on his cape & shoes and grabbed most of his magic books. He crept out of the house. He did some quick stretching and ran off to the beach. It seemed as if he had gotten over Keoni's absence and is now concentrated on his training.  
  
'_Good. There's no one here._' He thought as he reached the beach. Izzy took off his cape and laid it on the sand. He placed his books on top of it. He walked towards the water. '_I hope that I don't make too much noise._' He raised his left fist and started to concentrate. Like what happened last week, the air around him started to swirl. The main difference is that his fist started to glow orange.  
  
"Power…BEAM!!!" He held his hand out and fired a massive wave of magical energy towards the ocean. It went pretty far, about fifty feet, before the energy exploded and created a huge splash. Izzy gave a smile at the performance.  
  
'_Not bad. I'm not even tired yet._' He prepared another attack. This time however, his entire body went cold. It started to snow in the swirl of air.  
  
"Ice…BEAM!!!" He fired the frigid energy and it froze the waves easily. "Pretty good. I better try shielding techniques now." He went to one of the books and thumbed through it until he found the proper spell.

"Ok. Here we go." He made his fist charge up electricity.  
  
"Thunderbolt!" He fired the attack directly above him. He quickly looked back at the book and started to concentrate again.  
  
"Lightning—"  
  
"What are you doing?" The usual interloper interjected. Izzy, in mid spell, turned to face him.  
  
"Otto?! What on Earth are you—" He then looked up at the lightning that was coming back down. "Crap."  
  
::BZZZZZTPT!!!::

  
"AHHHH!!!" Izzy yelled as he got shocked badly. When the attack ended, he was black all over and fell on the ground, electricity crackling all over his body. He stood up and started walking shakily towards Otto. "Y-You... Wh-what are y-you d-doing h-here? Y-You ssssssshould be ssssssleeping."  
  
"I can say the same thing to you, dude." Otto replied. He crossed his arms and gave Izzy a questioning look. The electricity left the wizard and he looked back with the same expression.  
  
"What?"  
  
"You know what." Otto shot back. "You've been doing this at the Shack last week and now you're back at it. I know you said that you train your powers while staying at a place, but I doubt you get up at six AM to train!"  
  
"Speaking of which, how could you possibly be up at this time? I made sure not to make even the slightest sound." Izzy replied.  
  
"I was already up."  
  
"Doing…?"  
  
"Nothing." Otto said.

'_Like I'd tell him I just woke up from another dream with Twist & me._' He thought. Izzy didn't seem to buy it, but he turned back to his books.  
  
"If you'll excuse me, I still have training to do." He looked for a healing spell that didn't make him go to sleep.  
  
"Aren't you going to tell me why you're doing this?" Otto asked. Izzy chuckled in response.  
  
"Now why would I do that?"  
  
"You can't possibly have a bigger secret than that you're gay, so why can't ya just tell me?" Izzy looked thoughtful after hearing that question.  
  
"Because it doesn't concern you."  
  
"How can it not concern me when a friend is probably overdoing it?" Otto asked incredulously.  
  
"It just can't." Izzy responded. He went back into the book and healed his burns after reciting the proper spell. "And another thing, how could you possibly know that homosexuality is the biggest secret a person can have?"  
  
"No reason." Otto quickly answered. Izzy shot him a skeptical look before turning towards the sea.  
  
"In any case, I'm going back to training. You're free to watch me if you want. Just don't bother me." He started to charge energy.  
  
"Come on. Tell me." Izzy stopped, turned, and faced Otto with an exasperated look.  
  
"You won't stop til I tell ya, huh?"  
  
"I've been told that I'm very stubborn." Otto gave a grin.  
  
"Ugh. Fine, but tell NO ONE! I don't want to cause widespread panic." Otto had a slightly scared look on him. Izzy continued. "The day Keoni arrived, I went to that mountain boarding course because I had to see Adrian."  
  
"You mean your best friend?" Otto asked.  
  
"I don't know if I can even consider him my friend after what happened last week." Izzy replied. "Anyway, he told me that the king of all wizards is coming here for me. He'll be here at the end of the summer and I have to be ready to fight."  
  
"How did Adrian even get you to come?"  
  
"He went into my dreams through a spell and told me."  
  
"Why didn't you say anything before?"  
  
"Like I said, I didn't want to cause any panic. This is my fight & I don't want anybody getting hurt." Izzy got into a thinking pose. "I don't know how this will turn out, Otto. You saved my life, allowed me to get a job, and even let me into your home. I have to repay you for all that before this happens."  
  
"You don't have to." Otto said.  
  
"I want to though. You've done too much for me. Just tell me what you want & I'll try to do it." Otto got in a thinking pose and noticed one of Izzy's books, a potion book (Why he had one at the beach, I'll never know). He then got an idea.  
  
"Can you make love potions?" He asked.  
  
"I think I have a recipe for it." Izzy replied.  
  
"Can you make one for gay guys?" Izzy raised an eyebrow at Otto's question.  
  
"Yeah… Why? I didn't know you—"  
  
"It's not for me! It's for a friend." Otto replied while blushing.  
  
"Who? Twister? Sam?"  
  
"No. It's for somebody you don't know."  
  
"Ok… Let me see what I need first." Izzy opened the potion book and turned pages until he found the right recipe. "Here it is." Otto walked up to him and looked at the page. The recipe was as follows:  
  
_Super Love Potion  
  
1 cup seaweed  
  
1 teaspoon honey (1)  
  
1 flower (preferably a rose or African violet)  
  
3 cups water  
  
5 grapes  
  
1 orange  
  
1 cup of soda (preferably Pepsi Blue or Cherry Coke)  
  
A dash of salt_  
  
"And the absolutely critical ingredient is a strand of hair from both people." Izzy said as he closed the book.  
  
"Why is that so important?" Otto asked.  
  
"It's required because it'll make sure the right person falls in love with your friend. Most love potions only make the drinker fall in love with the first person he or she sees. This potion ensures that the drinker only falls in love with the person whose other strand is inside the potion. Also, only that person can drink the potion and experience its effects." Otto had a confused look. Izzy slapped his head.  
  
"Oy. Example: If I made the potion to make Keoni fall in love with me, I would have to get a strand of hair from him and one from myself. That way, he would drink the potion and fall in love with me and only me. It would be vice versa if I drank it. If anybody else were to drink the potion, it wouldn't have any effect on them. Got it?"  
  
"Yeah… So can ya make it?" Otto asked eagerly.  
  
"I can make it. I just need the right ingredients."  
  
"I think we can get all the ingredients with no problem. The only thing though is getting the strands of hair."  
  
"You know where we can get a rose or African violet for free?" Izzy asked with an eyebrow raised.  
  
"Yeah. We just get a violet from Mrs. Stimpleton's garden." Otto replied. Izzy looked at his watch.  
  
"It's getting late. We better go back before Reggie & your dad wake up." He picked up his books & cape and started to walk off.  
  
"Izzy, I want to help you train." Otto suddenly said. The other boy stopped.  
  
"Why? You don't have to do that."  
  
"I just want to. It can get lonely training by yourself. Besides, I can make sure you don't tire yourself out." Otto replied. He mainly wanted to make sure the wizard wasn't too tired to make the potion, but he won't tell _him_ that. Izzy sighed.  
  
"Very well. After work, I'll get started on the potion." He grabbed Otto's hand with his free hand and ran off.  
  
A few hours later…  
  
"I need you to get the ingredients. You don't have to worry about getting the hair yet. Just concentrate on everything else." Izzy said. He was in the Rocket household, preparing to make the potion by boiling water in a pot.  
  
"Right." Otto said and he left. Izzy opened his book to the recipe.  
  
Otto went off to the beach in his blades, scooped up an armful of seaweed, and left the area, ignoring the stares of everybody, including Reggie, Twister, and Sam, who were getting ready to surf another set of waves.  
  
"Uhh… Why was Ottoman putting seaweed in his arms?" Twister asked.  
  
"Beats me." Reggie said with a shrug.  
  
---------------------------  
  
"How long does it take to get some seaweed?" Izzy asked as he looked at his watch. "At this rate, it'll take him forever to get everything else." He turned off the fire and left the house. He ran to the beach, where he found Otto skating along.  
  
"Hey. What are you doing here?" Otto asked as he stopped.  
  
"You're kinda taking a long time, so I'll get everything else." Izzy replied.  
  
"No way! _I'll_ get everything else!" Otto refused. Izzy got a grin.  
  
"How about we make a game out of this?"  
  
"Ok. We race to get everything before the other?"  
  
"Yep. You in or not?"  
  
"Of course! But don't use that crazy move of yours." Otto warned. Izzy sighed before smirking.  
  
"Very well. Not that it'll make much of a difference anyway." The two then made a starting line out of some chalk that was nearby. They stood behind it.  
  
"On your mark." Otto started.  
  
"Get set." Izzy said.  
  
"GO!" They both yelled and they were off. They raced all over the area, going into stores of every kind. Their little game more than confused everybody in the area. After gathering the items, the duo sped off to the Rocket household and then back out. They went through the beach and up to the hills of the city.  
  
"That was odd." Sam said after witnessing the scene.  
  
"Come on. Let's go see what they're up to." Reggie said as the trio left the beach.  
  
---------------------------  
  
Reggie, Twister, and Sam walked through the woods, trying to find their two friends. They found Otto & Izzy a few moments later, talking in a clearing.  
  
"Ok. We found them. Let's go ask." Twister said as he walked forward. Reggie quickly snatched him back. "What'd you do that for?!" He hissed.  
  
"They probably wouldn't tell us." She whispered. "Just use your camera." Twister grabbed his camera and zoomed in on the wizard & skater.  
  
"Ok now. The final ingredient before the hair is required is some honey." Izzy said.  
  
"If all we need is the honey, why are we here? I got the honey we needed when we raced." Otto complained.  
  
"Honey? Hair? What's this all about?" Sam whispered. Reggie hushed him.  
  
"That's the thing. When I read the recipe again, I noticed a footnote about the honey that we need." Izzy answered.  
  
"And…?" Otto asked.  
  
"It said that only the purest honey can be used."  
  
"Meaning…?" Izzy got a terrified look on him as he prepared to answer.  
  
"We need the honey from a b-b-b-b-BEEHIVE!!!"  
  
(Me: THE HORROR! AHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!)  
  
Everybody looked up with an exasperated expression.  
  
(Me: Sorry about that. Continue.)  
  
"A beehive? And just _who_ is going to go on this little mission?" Otto asked incredulously. Izzy put on an evil grin.  
  
"One, two, three, NOT IT!!!"  
  
"Not… Damn! Why do I have to go!?" Otto yelled.  
  
"You wanna help your friend, right?" Izzy asked. "Aside from your friend and his crush's hair strands, the honey is extremely important for the potion. Now get going. Remember, the key thing is NOT to make a lotta noise. Better yet, don't make a sound."  
  
"Anything else?" Otto asked as he started to walk.  
  
"Oh yeah. When you grab the hive, run for your life. I heard the bees around here are of the African Killer variety."  
  
"OO Oh yes! That's REAL reassuring!" Otto yelled with sarcasm before he made his way into the woods. Izzy stood in the clearing and looked at his magic book with a state of urgency.  
  
"I wonder if there's a spell that protects from bugs."  
  
"Oh my God! Otto is gonna get stung badly!" Twister whispered with worry in his voice.  
  
"He's not in too much trouble." Sam reassured. "Killer bees, especially the African kind, aren't indigenous to this part of the world."  
  
"'Not in too much trouble!?' He'll probably go up against an entire swarm!" Reggie hissed.  
  
With Otto…  
  
"I must be the craziest gay skater in the world." Otto said as he made his way through the brush. "I mean, do I really have to go through this when I can just tell Twister how I feel and get it over with?" He shook his head at the ridiculous thought.   
  
"Anyway, this potion will make everything much easier." He went around a few more trees before coming to another clearing. This clearing seemed kinda dark because of the setting sun. At the end of the clearing stood a tree with an oval-shaped thing hanging off a low branch.  
  
"The hive." Otto gulped as he tiptoed his way towards the house of evil.  
  
(A/N: In case you couldn't tell, I HATE bees!)  
  
"Ok. Izzy said not to make a sound." Otto whispered as he inched closer to the hive. "I'm almost there." And he would have made it too, if it wasn't for the following sound effect:  
  
::SNAP!::  
  
Otto had stepped on a twig. Everything froze in time. Shivers went up his spine as he waited for something. Nothing happened and he gave a sigh of relief.  
  
"Whew."  
  
::BUUUUUUUUUUZZZZZZZZZZZ!!!::  
  
Otto looked ahead in total fright as a fog of darkness left the hive. His eyes widened as the fog got closer at an alarming speed.  
  
---------------------------  
  
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Everybody heard Otto's voice scream as a yellow blur ran past them, followed by the swarm. Izzy stepped out from behind a tree.  
  
"Damn. He used his own Rocket Accel ability." He said, still unaware of the trio behind a bush. "In any case, the coast is clear and I can grab the hive." He looked at his book real fast and he started to move his left hand around in a strange fashion.  
  
"Insect Shield!" A green barrier surrounded him. He walked off into the woods.

He soon reached the clearing where the hive was and he made the shield smaller. The barrier was now a green outline of Izzy. He made to grab the hive, but the spawn of Satan returned and was now blocking his way. He scoffed at the swarm and walked into it with his nose held high. The black fog started to dissipate as the bees fell to the ground dead.  
  
"Heh. Thanks to the poisonous effects of my new Insect Shield, these bees are of no concern to me. I'll just grab this hive and I'll be on my way." He plucked the hive from its branch and shook it to see if it's empty. More bees flew out and they started to fall as well. "The only problem with this shield is that it doesn't block out the sound of that excessive buzzing!" He ran off, followed by any bees that were still alive.  
  
---------------------------  
  
"Did you see how fast Otto went?!" Twister asked with a grin.  
  
"Yeah. This'll make for some great laughs at the Christmas party!" Reggie chuckled. Just then, Izzy jumped over them and ran to town.  
  
"Wonder what he was running so fast for." Sam said as he scratched his head. Just then, they heard a low buzzing. With a scream, they ran off as well.  
  
---------------------------  
  
"Ok. We got most of what we need. Now to mix it up." Izzy said. He & Otto were in the kitchen. Izzy boiled the water in the pot and added the ingredients.

"A crumpled up African violet, the seaweed, stir a little. Add the orange & grapes together, pour in a cupful of Cherry Coke, and add a dash of salt for flavor." He then brought a spoon into the beehive and scooped out the honey. The potion looked a putrid green as Izzy stirred the honey into the concoction. He looked at the potion book and started muttering the necessary spell. He waved his hands over the pot and the potion took on a pleasant pink color. Satisfied, he closed the book and sat at the table.  
  
"It's done, but we still need that hair."  
  
"Ok. I'll get my ha—err! I mean—my _friends'_ hair tomorrow." Otto replied. Izzy shot him a confused look, but got up and stretched.  
  
"Well, I'm gonna chill for awhile. When that pot cools, put it in the fridge." He started to leave before he turned towards Otto. "Before I forget, it's of the utmost importance that you don't let anybody drink that potion before we get the hair."  
  
"Why not?" Otto asked.  
  
"Until the hair is applied, that potion will act as a normal love potion, destroying the senses of whoever drinks it and making that person fall in love with whomever they see first."  
  
"Oh."  
  
"'Oh' is right. Don't let anybody drink that potion!" Izzy then stomped out.  
  
The next day…  
  
It was scorching in Ocean Shores as everybody went about their business. It was now lunch and Izzy went off to get some pizza while Otto went to his place. He seemed to have a suspicious look on him as he walked into the house and into the kitchen. He opened the fridge and took out the pot that contained the love potion.  
  
"This is too easy. Why wait to get a bit of Twister's hair when I can just give him the potion now and he'll be mine?" He said to himself as he poured some of the pink liquid into a cup. "Now, all I gotta do is get me & Twist alone and have him—" Just then, the front door knob was starting to turn.

"Oh crap! That might be Izzy! Gotta hide!" He ran out of the kitchen and up the stairs. The door opened.  
  
"God, it's hot out there!" Reggie yelled as she walked inside.  
  
"Yeah. I need a drink." Twister replied as he walked in as well.  
  
'_Yes! And now he'll go into the kitchen and drink the potion._' Otto thought.  
  
"Hey Sam, you want something?" Reggie called from over her back.  
  
"Sure! I'll wait out here!" Sam's voice yelled back. The previous two walked into the kitchen and Twister saw the glass cup containing the potion.  
  
"What's this stuff, pink lemonade?" He asked as he picked up the cup.  
  
'_Yes! Drink it, you sexy fool!_' Otto cheered in his mind. '_Hey wait. What did Izzy say about the potion?_'  
  
::::Flashback::::  
  
_"Until the hair is applied, that potion will act as a normal love potion, destroying the senses of whoever drinks it and making that person fall in love with whomever they see first."_  
  
::::End Flashback::::  
  
'_And who's in the kitchen with Twister?_' A voice in Otto's mind asked.  
  
'_Reggie. Why'd you—OH MY GOD!_' Otto screamed in his mind as he ran down the stairs. He ran in the kitchen just as Twister downed the potion.  
  
"Ugh. Whatever that is, it doesn't taste like pink lemonade." He grimaced. He was facing Reggie with his eyes closed, so the potion didn't take effect yet.  
  
"Hey guys." Otto said, trying to get Twister's attention. Twister turned around and was about to open his eyes when Reggie got in between them.  
  
"Otto! What are you doing here?" She asked.  
  
"I'm on my break. Now if you don't mind, I was about to talk to Twister." Otto replied, but it was too late. Twister had opened his eyes and was making googly eyes…at Reggie!

"Oh man." Otto groaned as he slapped his forehead.  
  
"Reggie?" Twister said.  
  
"Yeah?" Reggie asked as she turned towards him.  
  
"Did anybody ever tell you that you have the most beautiful eyes?"  
  
"Well, there was my date for the senior prom and—WHAT!?" Reggie clearly looked shocked. "Twister, are you feeling ok?"  
  
"Never better, my sweet." Twister replied as he started to advance on Reggie. She started backing up until she was up against the wall.  
  
"Otto, help!" She yelled as Twister put his arms on either side of her, blocking escape.  
  
"Oh man, oh man, oh man!" Otto chanted.  
  
"Otto!"  
  
"Don't worry! I'll get some help. Just stay away from Twist!" Otto then ran out. Reggie turned to Twister, who had his lips puckered.  
  
"Easier said than done." She muttered.  
  
---------------------------  
  
Izzy was running along at Speed Two. He seemed to be in a good mood.  
  
"I am the Izzy, that's what I am! I am the Izzy, I got the masta plan!" He sang. He then switched songs.   
  
"Born on an island in the heavens. The blood of my ancestors flows inside me." He switched again.   
  
"Sweet, sweet! I'm so sweet!" He switched one more time while stopping at the pier entrance and going towards the Shack.  
  
"Everybody do da Koopa! Everybody shout it out!"  
  
(A/N: I wonder if anybody can guess where that last one came from. Hint: That song wasn't in a game.)  
  
"Izzy! Wait up!" Otto yelled as he skated alongside Izzy.  
  
"Hey. What's up?"  
  
"We got a problem." They skidded to a stop.  
  
"Oh? What kind of problem?" Izzy asked. Otto shifted uneasily.  
  
"W-well you see. About the potion…" He started. Izzy sighed.  
  
"Who drank it?"  
  
"Twister." Otto replied.  
  
"And he's ga-ga over…?"  
  
"Reggie." Izzy slapped his head.  
  
"I told you not to let anybody drink the potion. Its effects are way too strong before the hair is applied."  
  
"oO Uhhh… How strong are we talking?" Otto asked.  
  
"It makes the drinker try to jump the first person he sees." Izzy replied. Otto's face turned ten shades of red as he realized what would've happened if Twister saw him instead. Izzy gave a slightly confused look.  
  
"I thought the boss didn't like the Reggie/Twister pairing."  
  
(Me: I don't. I just couldn't pass up on this gag.)  
  
"So, my best bro is trying to get into my sister's pants?" Otto asked.  
  
"Pretty much, yeah." Izzy replied. They were silent for a moment.  
  
"AHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!" They ran/skated back to Otto's house. Halfway there, they noticed Reggie skating away from a love-struck Twister.  
  
"Get him away from me!" She yelled as she sped past them.  
  
"Oh come on, Reggie! It could work out!" Twister yelled as he skated past Otto & Izzy as well. They skidded to a stop. Sam skated up to them.  
  
"What's with them? They went into Reggie's house to get a drink and then she came running out with Twister on her tail." He said breathlessly.  
  
"Never mind that! We gotta follow them!" Otto said. The other two boys nodded and they went down the hill, chasing after the two "lovebirds."  
  
"Get away, you sicko!" Reggie yelled.  
  
"Come on, babe! You don't mean that!" Twister replied. The chase went on for at least an hour. Everybody soon ended up on the top of the California Incline. Reggie tried to reason with Twister, but the kid just wouldn't hear of it! Left with no other option, she went down the dangerous slope.  
  
"Reggie! You'll hurt yourself!" Twister called as he went after her.  
  
"So how do we deal with this?" Sam asked, looking at the downhill chase.  
  
"I have to get close enough to both of them in order to cancel out the spell." Izzy replied.  
  
"Then let's go!" Otto yelled. And with that, they took on the incline as well, steadily increasing speed as they went down.  
  
"Twist! Stop!" Sam yelled when he got close enough.  
  
"No way! I'm in love!" Twister yelled back as he increased his speed. Otto, Sam, and Izzy were barely able to catch up.  
  
"This is nuts! How are we supposed to catch up?!" Izzy asked.  
  
"Duh! Use your move!" Otto yelled.  
  
"Alright! Hang on!" Izzy ran fast enough to become a blur as Otto and Sam grabbed his cape. The chase soon ended at the beach, where Reggie was running in circles with Twister after her.  
  
"Ok. They're together. Now what?" Sam asked.  
  
"Simple." Izzy snapped his fingers and Twister shook his head in confusion.  
  
"Ugh… Where am I? What happened?" He asked in a daze. Reggie then grabbed him by his shirt.  
  
"What happened? You tried to jump me, you little twerp!" She throttled him. Otto, Sam, and Izzy sighed and shook hands at a job well done.  
  
"Glad we got that dealt with." Otto said.   
  
"Yeah." Sam added with a sigh. Izzy nodded in agreement.  
  
"One thing though, how DID Twister get his hands on the potion, anyway?" He turned to Otto, who started laughing nervously while backing up. The others got the hint and started advancing towards him.  
  
"Heh. It was a little joke. You know? Ha ha?" Otto defended.  
  
"Oh I'll show you ha ha!" Reggie yelled as she punched her hand.  
  
"I can't believe you did that!" Twister, Sam, and Izzy yelled.  
  
"Get him!" Reggie yelled.  
  
"Come on! It was all in good fun!" Otto yelled as he ran away from the others.  
  
The next day…  
  
"Come on, Izzy!" Otto cheered. They were at the beach again.  
  
"Oh mana, come to me!" Izzy yelled. That disc thingy from last week appeared and gave him his sword and shield. He pulled out the sword and started doing some drills. He stabbed at the air repeatedly and thrust his sword into the ground a few times.  
  
"Hey Izzy?" Otto said a few minutes later.  
  
"Yeah?" Izzy asked as he stabbed the air around him.  
  
"Did ya ever get the feeling you were being watched?"  
  
"Well you're here." Izzy said as he performed a spin attack. Otto slapped his head.  
  
"I mean besides us." The other boy stopped his drills and looked around.  
  
"Otto, there's no one here besides us. Now can it." Izzy charged energy into his sword and fired his Super Magical Violet Tornado at the sea, causing an impressive-looking funnel to appear. A low growl filled the air and they looked around. Seeing nothing, Izzy shrugged it off and got back into a fighting stance.  
  
"And now for your viewing pleasure, I shall use a new technique I like to call the 'Hurricane Attack.'" He held his sword behind him as it started to charge energy. The tip of his blade burned with a righteous fury as he let loose the energy and spun around like a top out of control. Just as his attack ended, a loud clang was heard. Izzy started moving around dizzily.  
  
"Ugh… That attack…"  
  
"I know I heard that clanging sound." Otto said as Izzy regained his composure.  
  
"Yeah. I heard it too." He replied. Otto then walked up to where the sound was heard.  
  
"Can you use another attack right…here?" He pointed to a spot in the sand. Izzy walked up to that area.  
  
"Ok. Stand back." Otto walked away as Izzy started to charge energy into the sword. He took a breath, closed his eyes, and let go.   
  
"WOOOOOOAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!" He yelled as he focused his attack on the area. There was a massive amount of clanging before the sound of glass shattering was heard. It seemed as if Izzy destroyed a dome, revealing Adrian.   
  
"It's you." Otto said. After recovering from the dizziness of the attack, Izzy got his sword ready to strike.  
  
"Wait! I don't want to fight." Adrian said. The wizard in the gray hat still didn't put down his sword.  
  
"What do you want?" He asked with a glare.  
  
"I only want to apologize for last week. I was jealous." To this, Izzy put down his sword and raised an eyebrow.  
  
"Jealous?" Adrian nodded. Izzy continued. "I don't understand why you were jealous. After all, I hardly have anybody to hang out with in this city except for a few humans." He gestured to Otto. "Keoni was a rare example of the quality I like in a human. I don't know why you hate them, but you really shouldn't have done what you did."  
  
"But—" Adrian started, but Izzy interrupted.  
  
"Besides, how can we be seen together? I thought you were on the king's side."  
  
"I am, but you don't understand." Adrian replied.  
  
"Ok. I'm all ears. What was your reason?"  
  
"Izzy, I don't hate humans. I—" Adrian shook his head. "Never mind. I would like you to forgive me."  
  
"After what happened, I don't know if I can."  
  
"How about I teach you how to fly?" Izzy shot Adrian a skeptical look.  
  
"You know I'm a low level. I can't possibly fly without my wand." Adrian walked up to him.  
  
"Listen, anything is possible, with or without the wand. Besides, you can create weapons." He pointed at Izzy's sword & shield. "Only high-leveled wizards & witches can do that. Of course you can fly." Izzy then remembered the words in his father's book.  
  
'_"Any spell can be used, regardless of whether the wizard has his wand or not."_' He nodded at his thoughts.  
  
"Ok. Let's do it. Otto will be here to make sure ya don't try anything."  
  
"Even if I _did_ try anything, how's he gonna stop me?" Adrian asked. Izzy shrugged.  
  
"Before we get started, what was that spell you used when we found you?"  
  
"Oh, that was a barrier called the 'Sight Shield.' No one can see anything inside it. It's as if you're invisible."  
  
"But you're not _invincible_ to attacks, huh?" Otto asked. Adrian sneered.  
  
"It speaks!" Izzy laughed.  
  
"Very funny." Otto said while crossing his arms.  
  
"Anyway, let's go already. Don't you still have to do your job?" Adrian asked.  
  
"Oh yeah. You're right. Ok. Tell me what to do." Izzy said as he made his shield and sword disappear.  
  
"Ok. First, you have to focus your energy. Think only about floating." Adrian said. Izzy closed his eyes and his body glowed. "Good. Now jump up and try to hold your position." Izzy focused a bit more before jumping up. Gravity quickly affected him and he landed on his feet.   
  
"Try again." Adrian said sternly. Izzy jumped up again. This time, he floated a little before he lost his concentration and fell on his butt.  
  
"Ow…" He groaned.  
  
"Get up! We're gonna keep at it until you get it right!" Adrian yelled. Izzy quickly got up and focused his energy again. He jumped and floated a bit longer before falling. This continued for a few hours before Otto told him that time was up. With a groan, he bid Adrian farewell.  
  
"Remember, I'll be back here tomorrow." Adrian said as he left too. For the next few days, Izzy trained, trying to fly. It was tough, but he was getting better. He would fall a lot, but he'd quickly get up and try again.  
  
---------------------------  
  
"Ugh… Flying is crazy hard." Izzy groaned. He & Otto were sitting on the Shack's balcony, enjoying their lunch break.  
  
"Yeah." Otto agreed. "Don't you think he's going a bit rough about it?"  
  
"Maybe, but he was probably trained to fly like that, so this'll most likely be good for me." Izzy paused. "Do you think I might be too trusting?"  
  
"Maybe a little. Don't feel too bad though." Otto replied as he rested in a chair, eating a banana.  
  
"Hmmm… So how's that hair thing coming along?"  
  
"Heh. I got my friend's hair already." Otto looked up at his dreadlocks. "I still gotta get _his_ friend's hair." Izzy put on a thinking look and looked at the beach.  
  
"Otto! Izzy! Break's over!" Ray yelled from downstairs.  
  
"Well _that_ was short." Otto said as he tossed the banana peel behind him. It landed on the floor.  
  
"Yeah. I guess—" Izzy said before he stepped on the banana peel. "Woah!" He started to slip. He desperately tried to regain balance, but he was edging closer to the balcony's rail.  
  
"Izzy, watch out!" Otto yelled, but it was too late. With a last scream, Izzy went over the edge. Otto ran to the rail and saw him fall. He got closer and closer to the ground and then…stopped?  
  
"I can't believe it's over." Izzy said. He had his eyes closed. "And talk about a weird way to go. Slipping on a banana peel. That's gotta be the oldest cartoon gag."  
  
"Izzy, you're not dead! Open your eyes!" Otto said.  
  
"Wha?" Izzy opened his eyes and saw the concrete. It was coming closer and then backed up, only to come closer again. Confused, he looked to his right and saw the people inside the Shack staring at him in amazement. He then gasped as he realized what happened.  
  
"I'm…floating?" He made himself face up. He looked down and noticed that a few feet of air separated him from the concrete. He rose a bit higher until he was above the Shack. Everybody ran out and looked up as he gave an ecstatic laugh.  
  
"I'm actually flying!" He rose higher and flew forward, doing a few barrel rolls and loop de loops. He flew down along the beach and up again, causing sand to be sprayed everywhere. He then flew along the water, letting his hands slide along it. Izzy flew back to the Shack and landed. He gave a bow as everybody clapped at the performance. At the top of the Shack, Adrian was watching with admiration.  
  
"He learned faster than me, but can he fight while flying?" He muttered before flying off.  
  
The next day…  
  
"Adrian! I can fly!" Izzy yelled as he ran on the beach, followed by Otto. When he got to his friend, he jumped up and floated in the air. "See?" Adrian shook his head at the sight and chuckled.  
  
"You're such a little kid sometimes." He floated up too and was across from Izzy.  
  
";; I'm _not_ a little kid!" Izzy pouted. Adrian chuckled and then brought out his wand.  
  
"Now that you're able to fly, you have to learn how to defend yourself while concentrating on staying in the air."  
  
"Ok." Izzy replied as the two floated higher.  
  
"We'll spar for a bit to get you used to battle in the sky. Bring out your sword."  
  
"Alright. Oh mana, come to me!" Izzy called. The disc came down, but as he tried to get his sword, Adrian rammed into him. "What was that for!?"  
  
"Nobody is going to allow you to call your sword." Adrian replied. "You have to defend yourself while calling your weapon or charging up a big attack. Try again."  
  
"Alright." Izzy said as his body started to glow. "Power Shield!" An orange barrier surrounded him. "And now, oh mana, come to me!" The disc came down again and he was able to get his sword & shield despite Adrian launching a stream of fire at him. Unfortunately, Izzy's barrier broke down from the heat of the flames.  
  
"You may have gotten your sword, but your barrier was destroyed as a result. You have to anticipate your opponent's attack." Adrian said. "Now come at me."  
  
"Ahhhhh!!!" Izzy screamed as he charged at Adrian. He prepared to thrust his sword, but Adrian dodged and delivered a punch to his side. Izzy started to lose altitude as he clutched his side.  
  
"Get back up!" Adrian yelled. "Nobody is going to show you any mercy." Izzy flew back up and started to charge energy into his blade. Adrian fired a bolt of energy at him, but he blocked it with his shield. Izzy roared as he performed a Hurricane Attack in the air. Adrian made a barrier, which held up for a little bit against Izzy's attack. It quickly shattered as the one in the black cape started to experience the side effect of his move. Adrian took the opportunity to attack, but Izzy shook off the effects and blocked another strike.  
  
"Not bad, Izzy, but can you defend against this?" Adrian asked as he backed up from the other boy, who was panting. The sky started to darken and the wind picked up. It started to rain as Adrian's wand glowed. Thunder clapped as a few lightning bolts came down and made their way towards Izzy.  
  
"Lightning Shield!" He yelled. A barrier made out of electricity surrounded him and blocked the attack. The sword started to glow again. "Super Magical Violet Tornado!" He tossed the wind funnel at Adrian.  
  
"Wind Shield!" A barrier made of air surrounded Adrian and cancelled out Izzy's attack. He then tossed some fireballs in Izzy's direction. Izzy flew around them with ease. He tried his tornado attack again, but Adrian's shield proved too strong for it.  
  
'_Crap! How can I penetrate his shield?_' He thought as he flew around more fireballs. He saw one fireball go towards the ground and disappear as soon as it hit the sand. '_That's it!_' He focused energy into the sword and aimed at the ground in front of Adrian's position.  
  
"Super Magical Violet Tornado!" The attack shot out, hit the sand, and rose up, causing a tornado of sand to spiral in Adrian's direction. Adrian's shield stood up to the wind part of the attack, but the sand went everywhere, obstructing his view. Izzy flew up and delivered a kick to Adrian, making him fall to the ground. The boy in the gray hat landed and walked up to him as the storm he caused dissipated.  
  
"Are you alright?" He asked. Adrian coughed up some sand and stood up.  
  
"Yeah. I'm cool." He replied as he dusted himself off. He then shook Izzy's hand. "That was impressive. Using our environment to create a sandstorm and mess up my shield. You really have come a long way from the kid I knew."  
  
"Thanks. I hope I'll be strong enough to take on the king and get back my wand."  
  
"Don't worry. You'll make it." Adrian said. Izzy noticed he was looking real tired.   
  
"I guess our sparring session really took it out of you. I'll use a healing spell." He said. He put an arm around Adrian and walked towards Otto, who was watching the fight and Izzy's books. The skater saw Adrian blush at the attention he was getting.  
  
"Ok. Sit here while I find the right spell." Izzy told Adrian as he picked up a book and thumbed through it, looking for the right spell. Adrian sat on the ground and looked at him with a smile. Otto walked up to the blue caped wizard.  
  
"You like him, don't you?" He whispered. Adrian looked at him with a shocked expression before turning away with a blush.  
  
"What makes you say that?" He whispered back.  
  
"For one thing, you're helping him train when he's going up against the guy you're working for."  
  
"So? I'm only giving him a chance against the king." Adrian replied stubbornly.  
  
"Yeah right. You like him."  
  
"You're crazy." Adrian coolly said. "He's my best friend, you know."  
  
"Then why were you so jealous over him and Keoni?" Otto asked with a smirk. Adrian blushed and stuttered to find an excuse.  
  
"I was ordered to go after Izzy. It didn't matter if he was—::Gulp::—dating some human."  
  
"Uh-huh. So if I was to ask Izzy to go out with me?" Otto asked.  
  
"I would rip every single organ out of your human body and devour your soul." Adrian slapped a hand over his mouth as he saw Otto's defiant smirk. He put on a defeated expression.  
  
"Well, I wouldn't go out with Izzy anyway." Otto said. "How about telling him?"  
  
"You really are nuts. I'd never risk losing my friendship." Adrian replied. Otto was about to continue this, but Izzy was walking up to them.   
  
"I found the spell. Hold still." He said as he held a hand up to Adrian. He muttered the spell and Adrian's body glowed. His wounds instantly healed.   
  
"Th-thanks." Adrian said, his face turning the color of an apple. Izzy gave him a confused glance.  
  
"No problem. What were you & Otto talking about?"  
  
"Oh nothing…" Otto said, casting a glance at Adrian.  
  
"Well anyway, we gotta go now. Will you be ok, Adrian?" Izzy asked.  
  
"Yeah. I'll be alright." Adrian replied as he got up.  
  
"Thank you, Adrian. You're a good best friend." Izzy said as he got Adrian in a tight hug. The smaller wizard struggled against it, but at the same time, he had a huge grin on him. Izzy soon let go.

"See ya around." He then left the beach with Otto.  
  
"Good bye." Adrian said with a distant tone as he flew off very sloppily.  
  
Later that day…  
  
'_I'm gonna get that hair today._' Otto thought as he was out making a delivery. '_All I gotta do is sneak into Twister's house, snag his brush, and I'll have the strand._' He went up a ramp, did a 360, and landed safely. He continued on.  
  
'_But what if his parents are there? Or even worse, Lars? He would never let me live it down if he knew why I was there._' He reached his destination and got his payment.   
  
'_Maybe if I go there now, nobody will be home._' With a shrug, Otto made his way to Twister's house. When he got there, he made sure the coast was clear. Seeing that no one was around, he went up the stairs to the house and tested the door knob. He smiled as he turned the knob and opened the door.  
  
'_Whew! Nobody's home._' He thought as he made his way through the house. It seemed that he was home free.  
  
"Hey Rocket Dork!" Otto froze as he heard the voice of the ultimate evil.  
  
'_So much for that plan!_' He scolded himself as he turned to face his long-time rival, Lars Rodriguez, who was standing at the entrance to the kitchen.  
  
"Hey Lars."  
  
"Don't 'Hey Lars' me! What are you doing here?" Lars asked.  
  
"Uhhhh well, ya see—" Otto started.  
  
"Where's my food!?" Lars yelled.  
  
"Huh?" Just then, the doorbell rang. Ignoring Otto's confused expression, Lars went to get the door. He opened it and who else but Izzy was standing there holding a bag.  
  
"Here ya go." He said, handing Lars the bag.  
  
"Ya took forever!" Lars yelled as he snatched the bag.  
  
"Don't blame me!" Izzy defended. "Tito was kinda slow about the cooking. You know I could get here in mere seconds. And that's $6.50."  
  
"Talk about robbery." Lars said as he crossed his arms. Izzy shrugged.  
  
"Not my fault. I'm only the delivery boy."  
  
"Speaking of which, why'd they send Rocket Dork if he didn't have any food?" Izzy raised an eyebrow at Lars' question.  
  
"Otto? I don't see him." Lars turned and looked at the living room. Otto was indeed gone. Scratching his head, Lars gave Izzy the money and went to eat. Down the hall, Otto gave a sigh of relief.  
  
'_I owe you one, Izzy._' He thought as he walked to Twister's room. He opened the door and was amazed to be in a clean room.  
  
'_Woah! This can't be Twist's room! It's too…neat._'

Not a single piece of clothing was on the floor and nothing was out of place or knocked over. Getting over his initial shock, Otto walked over to Twister's dresser, opened the top drawer, and pulled out a blue brush. He grinned when he saw strands of a familiar orange. He carefully pulled some strands and put them in his pocket. He then snuck out of the house without Lars finding him. He skated to the pier.  
  
---------------------------  
  
"Izzy! I got it!" Otto yelled as he ran into the Shack. Izzy and everybody else there gave him a confused look.  
  
"Uhhhh… Got what?" Izzy asked.  
  
"The hair! I got the—" Otto started, but Izzy slapped a hand over his mouth and guided him to the back.  
  
"So you finally got both hair strands?" He asked as he removed his hand. Otto nodded. "Good. After we're done for the day, I'll put the finishing touches on the potion." They then worked for the rest of the day. Otto daydreamed most of the time. He was finally going to get what he wanted.  
  
---------------------------  
  
A/N:  
  
Izzy: That was loooooong!  
  
Me: Yep.  
  
Izzy: And full of humor.  
  
Me: Yep.  
  
Izzy: Hey, did we ever figure out why the sky's always yellow?  
  
Me: ::Looks at Sam, who's still rambling possible reasons:: Nope.  
  
Izzy: ::Slaps forehead:: Oy!  
  
Me: Well, find out what happens next time!


	10. Final Preparations

Izzy: Hey Boss, what's with the Sonic themes you've been giving everybody?

Me: Well, it's like this: As mentioned in our last adventure, I identify some of the Rocket Power cast with the Sonic cast.

Izzy: oO Wha? How could you possibly identify the RP crew with the Sonic crew?

Me: That's easy. I'm doing it by personalities. As you know, I identify Otto with Sonic the hedgehog, Twister with Knuckles the echidna, Sam with Tails the two-tailed fox, and, after this chapter, Reggie with Rouge the bat.

Izzy: Wouldn't it make more sense to identify Otto with Knuckles because of the dreadlocks?

Me: ¬¬ Didn't I just say I'm doing it by personalities? Anyway, I identify Otto with Sonic because they're both the leader. They're overconfident, brash, and cocky as well.

Izzy. Ok. And what about Sam? It makes _much _more sense to identify him with Dr. Robotnik. HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!

::WHAM!::

Me: ::Puts down fist:: Sam may not be one of my favorite characters, but I won't let you make any fat jokes. Anyway, I identify Sam with Tails because they're both geniuses.

Izzy: ::Rubs head:: ¬¬ So is Robotnik.

Me: ::Shrugs:: But Ivo's evil. Also, Sam and Tails are both blond.

Izzy: I thought you weren't doing this based on physical appearance.

Me: Oh well. Now for Reggie—

Izzy: Yeah… It makes more sense to identify her with Amy Rose.

Me: oO Why Amy?

Izzy: Because Amy loves Sonic, who is blue, and Twister _wears_ blue, so—

::WHAM!::

Izzy: ::Dizzily:: I would like my previous statement stricken from the record…

Me: ::Puts down a mallet:: I told you I hated that coupling. Anyway, I didn't really have much choice because the only other girl I could've identified her with was Cream, but she's way too young and naïve. So I decided to pick Rouge because she wears purple and Reggie's hair is purple.

Izzy: Speaking of your favorite color, what about the great Lars and what's your reason for identifying Twister with Knuckles?

Me: Later. We gotta start.

-----------------------------

Last time on The Runaway…

(To the tune of "Fly in the Freedom" [Rouge's theme in Sonic Adventure 2])

Reggie: Hey! Reggie Rocket here to tell ya what happened last time. It was a whacked out couple of days! First off, Keoni left for Hawaii, but not before getting a sad good bye from Izzy. Then two days later, it seemed like the caped guy went back to his training. I think Otto went after him. Why? I don't know. He's hard enough to figure out as it is!

Later that day, Otto & Izzy were going around town looking for ingredients for some kind of potion. Again, don't ask me about all that. Whatever they were making needed honey from a beehive! Otto got a real 'buzz' from that! Ok, bad pun. Anyway, the next day, Twister drank some weird stuff that made him totally crazy for me! Yeah right! As if I could go for him! Of course he didn't seem to care about that. He chased me all over town until Izzy snapped him out of it.

A few days later, Izzy finally learned how to fly, thanks to his supposed best friend Adrian. They did some hard training, but it was worth it. Finally, Otto went to Twister's house for something and ran into Lars. He was saved though when Izzy stopped by to make a delivery. I wonder… Why was he training so hard for anyway?

-----------------------------

The Runaway Ch. 10: Final Preparations

Later that night…

"And now the final two ingredients, the hair strands of two potential lovers." Izzy said as thunder boomed. Looking around the kitchen, he saw no one else around.

"I said, 'And now the final two ingredients, the hair strands of two potential lovers!'" Thunder boomed again and still no one else was around.

"Otto! Get in here already!" Otto was up in the bathroom, carefully applying a pair of scissors to one of his dreadlocks.

"I'm coming! Hold on!" He yelled. He looked back at the mirror. "Ok now. Carefully cut it off." Otto snipped off a little more than he needed. He cringed at his reflection.

"I look ugly without a full lock. Oh well. It'll grow back." He separated the bit of hair in his hand until he got just one strand of red. He then took out one of Twister's hair stands before leaving the room. He made his way to the kitchen carefully. He didn't need to lose his or his best bro's hair strands. He went inside the kitchen where Izzy was waiting by the pot.

"Took your sweet time. Now let's have that hair." He said as he held out his hand. Otto gave him the two strands of red and orange. Izzy gave a strange look as he inspected them. Otto got a nervous look.

"Something wrong?" He asked.

"I sense an odd familiarity coming from these two strands." Izzy replied with suspicion in his voice. He shook his head. "But that doesn't matter. I don't even know who these strands belong to."

"Right." Otto said with guilt in his voice. Izzy dropped both strands into the potion. A puff of smoke rose up from the pot. He picked it up.

"So what spell do ya have to use this time?" Otto asked.

"Nothing. Just stick it in the microwave for a few." Izzy replied, ignoring Otto's gaping expression. He stuck the pot in the microwave. In a few minutes, the potion was warm and the pink liquid was now a deep crimson. Izzy poured the entire potion into a thermos.

"Finally, it's completed." He said as he handed the potion to Otto. "Now that it's done, all you have to do is give it to your friend and he'll give it to his crush." He paused. "I don't get it. You could've used that potion for yourself, but you chose to help a friend with it. Why?"

"I just wanted to help. I don't really have a crush on anybody." Otto replied, grimacing at his lie.

"Well anyway, I'm going to sleep. See ya in the morning." Izzy yawned as he left the kitchen.

The next day at the Shack…

"Izzy, this just came in for you." Ray said as he handed the wizard a package in the back room. He then left.

"What'd you order?" Otto asked. Izzy opened the package.

"That's just it. I didn't order anything." He replied. While taking out the packing foam, a piece of paper fell out.

"Maybe this'll explain it." Otto said as he handed the paper to Izzy. He started to read the letter.

_Dearest Izzy,_

_This package contains a brand new pair of air skates. They're all the rage in the wizarding world! Here's how they work: You get a running start and the rockets at the bottom of the skates will activate, allowing you to skate around. This should make delivering a little easier. Also, the metal plates in the middle of the skates' bottom will allow you to grind rails. Hopefully, they'll fit you fine. If they don't, you can always use a shoe fitting spell in one of your books!_

_Seriously though, I have some advice for you. If you really are planning on fighting the king, then I suggest trying your hand at making some potions. A good idea would be to try making explosive potions to make exploring the king's castle a little quicker. You know the king won't be in the first room you walk in. You can also try transformation potions to get past the guards. Most importantly, make healing potions, lots and lots of them. You'll need 'em. Well, that's all I have to offer you. Hope you make it through in one piece and that we don't have to fight each other._

_Love,_

_Adrian_

"'Dearest Izzy?' 'Love?' What's that all about?" Izzy asked after he read the letter. Otto couldn't believe how naïve the wizard was.

"¬¬ Beats me, but open the skates. I wanna see them!" He said. Izzy took out a shoe box and opened it. Inside were two shoes.

They were white on the front and black on the back. There was a gold ring around a black & red flap where the feet go. The shoes had a red rim around the back & front halves. The bottom of each shoe had four mini rockets and the middle of both shoes was raised up to contain the metal plates for grinding.

"I think I'm gonna like this reference." Izzy said with a grin as he kicked off his dirty white shoes and put on the skates. They fit snuggly.

"Let's test them out." Otto said as he left the Shack followed by Izzy. The pier was cleared for the wizard, who was at where it began. Otto was by the Shack.

"Ok Izzy! Go!" He yelled. Izzy did a light jog to make the skates activate. Unfortunately, nothing happened.

"What happened? Why didn't the skates start up?" He asked as he reached the Shack. Otto went inside and came back with a booklet.

"It says here in the instruction book that you have to flick the switches on the heels in order for the rockets to turn on." Izzy took off his skates and inspected the heels. There was a tiny red switch on each of them. He flicked the switches, put the shoes back on, and jogged. Almost instantly, the rockets activated and Izzy started to hover a few inches off the ground. He then moved his body as if he were on roller blades.

"Woah. This is much smoother than running!" He said as he skated back to Otto. He jumped on the rail and grinded down it. Sparks flashed from the skates. He landed, skated past the movies, turned around, and went back up the ramp.

"Not bad." Otto said with a nod.

"Izzy! Delivery!" Ray yelled.

"Well, see ya later." Izzy said as he went inside, got the food, and skated off.

'_I wonder why Adrian sent me these shoes for._' He thought. '_I mean they're cool and all, but that was completely unexpected._' He made a left. '_He mentioned the king's castle in his letter. I guess that means the king will use magic to transport his castle here. I wonder how much time I have left._' Izzy looked at his watch and pressed a button. The date was displayed as "8-18."

'_It's almost the end of summer. I better take Adrian's advice and try making some potions._' He reached the house he was supposed to go to and rang the bell. Izzy gasped when he saw the blue haired teenager who answered the door.

"Hey Izzy, long time no see." The teenager said.

"It's only been about a month. I wouldn't consider that a real long time." The caped boy replied. "What are you doing here, anyway?"

"Cameo. Why are you wearing that faker's shoes? I thought you had to give up the ones you had when we finished that last fic."

"Yeah, I did. _These_ skates were a gift." Izzy replied as he handed the other boy the food.

"Oh. Anyway, have you seen You-know-who?"

"You mean Ivo? He lives a few houses down. He orders this stuff like ten times a day!" At said house, Otto is seen giving the villain a few bags full of burgers. Izzy got his payment and a tip.

"See ya around, Izzy." The boy said as he went back inside his house.

"See ya!" Izzy yelled back as he skated off.

(A/N: In case ya didn't figure it out, that boy was a human version of Sonic the Hedgehog.)

The next morning…

"Mornin' Izzy. Aren't we going out to train?" Otto asked as he came down the stairs.

"Nah. I thought I'd take a break today. I'll make breakfast." Izzy replied as he went to the kitchen. He had a vial full of some red powder in his hands. He cooked some eggs and made toast for the Rockets and himself. When it was done, he put the powder on Otto's eggs.

'_I hope this works._' He thought. He placed the plates on the table just as Reggie & Ray joined them in the kitchen.

"Uhhh Izzy, what's this on my eggs?" Otto asked after everybody exchanged good mornings.

"Just a little spice. Tell me if ya like it." Izzy replied. Otto brought a fork to the eggs and put a piece in his mouth.

"Pretty good. Next time, tell me when you're gonna put stuff in my food." He said after swallowing the piece.

"Noted. Another thing, could you do me a favor?"

"What?" Otto asked.

"I need to try making some potions. Could you possibly be my test subject?"

"You mean guinea pig?" Reggie asked suspiciously. Izzy nervously chuckled.

"I guess you can say that. I can't possibly do it myself. If anything goes wrong, I'll make sure to heal ya immediately." Otto seemed to be contemplating his response as he finished off the rest of his eggs.

"Ok. I'll test out your potions. Just don't poison me." He said. Izzy put on a grin.

"Not to worry! In fact, you can start right now." With that, he snapped his fingers and Otto's normally red dreadlocks flared up and became flames. Everybody else gasped.

"WHAT'D YOU DO!?!" They yelled.

"Chill. I just put a fire potion in his eggs. He's perfectly fine. Go ahead. Run a hand through your new do." Otto nervously put his hand on the flames. Miraculously, his hand didn't catch fire.

"It feels like my hair." He said with astonishment.

"So how does this work?" Ray asked.

"Because of the potion, Otto should have the power of a fire element wizard, meaning he can breathe fire and stuff." Izzy replied.

"You mean like this?" Otto asked as he took a deep breath. Being cautious, Izzy encased the surfer in a Fire Shield. Otto then exhaled, tossing flames from his mouth. Because of the barrier, the fire filled the entire shield. When Otto's attack ended, he was black all over. Everybody grimaced at the sight.

"Ouch…" Otto groaned. He coughed up a cloud of smoke.

"I guess the potion must be too strong. Oh well." Izzy said. He snapped his fingers and the fire on Otto's head turned back to normal hair. He then recited a healing spell. Otto was no longer charred and his clothes were also repaired. "Sorry about that. I'm sure the next potion will work a little better."

"Right… The next potion." Otto said with a nervous chuckle. He left to get ready for work. Izzy set out to make another potion.

A little later…

"Ok. Here's the next one." Izzy said to Otto, who just came down the stairs. He handed the skater a cup that was full of a grayish concoction.

"What's this supposed to do?" Otto asked as he took the glass.

"The recipe didn't specify. It said something about stone and snakes though." Izzy replied as he looked in his potion book. Otto's expression turned to one of fear.

"Bottoms up, I guess…" He said as he drank the potion. A puff of smoke appeared and surrounded him. When it dissipated, he was normal. There was just one thing.

"I guess that potion was a dud. It didn't do anything." He said.

"Oh?" Izzy asked. "I guess I must've done something—" He put down the book and looked at Otto. His dreadlocks were replaced by snakes! Izzy quickly turned around. "Never mind. The potion worked. Just do me one favor."

"What?" Otto asked, unaware of the snakes.

"Don't look anybody in the eye. At least not until I make an antidote."

"oO Ok…" Otto left the kitchen just as Reggie was coming down the stairs.

"Hey Rocket Boy—AHHHH!!!!" Izzy cursed and sighed after hearing the girl scream.

"Damn Medusa potion." He muttered. "Guess I'll have to make a restoring potion as well." He then looked in his book for the antidote to Reggie's petrification.

The next morning at the pier…

"Ok. Let's try this thunder potion." Izzy said as he handed Otto a vial containing a lavender liquid. Otto drank it and cringed at the taste.

"Ugh… Ok. Now what?" He asked.

"Now you skate along and destroy these targets." Izzy snapped his fingers and three cardboard cut outs of Crew Cut the Clown appeared.

"I wonder if anybody'll guess this reference!" Otto yelled with sarcasm as he started skating on his board. He reached the first target and held out a hand. A bolt of lightning shot out and the cut out turned to ashes. He then skated into another one while his body was crackling with electricity. The cut out didn't even make it through the attack. Otto shot a bolt at the last cut out and fried it.

"Good job. I guess my potion works after all." Izzy said while clapping. Otto took off his helmet and bowed.

"Yeah. And nothing went wrong this time." Just then, it started to rain hard. As the rain drenched Otto, his body started to crackle with electricity.

"W-What are you doing?" Izzy asked with a trembling voice.

"Nothing. I'm not doing it!" Otto replied. Lightning then shot out of his body and traveled along the wet concrete.

::BZZZZZZZTPT!!!!!::

The two boys got zapped with electricity.

"I guess water short circuits you…" Izzy said. His body was shaking.

"Yeah…" Otto agreed. His dreadlocks were sticking straight up. They fainted.

Later that afternoon…

The rain cleared up and Otto, fully healed, was skating around town in his blades. He seemed to be looking for someone and he had a thermos in his hand.

'_Where can Twist be?_' He thought. '_I finally got this potion and he's nowhere to be found!_' He checked Mad Town, the amusement park, his best bro's house (dealing with Lars in the process), everywhere! The boy just disappeared off the face of the earth! Otto's eyes widened at a thought.

'_What if… What if he fell into a crevice and is probably screaming for help right about now? Oh God! Twister! I'm coming!_' He jetted over to the mountain boarding courses. After checking them and finding nothing (and wiping out about twenty times on Bruised Man's Curve), Otto limped back to town. His eyes widened again.

'_What if he drowned while surfing? Oh crap!_' He skated to his house, changed into some swimming trunks, grabbed his surfboard, and ran down to the beach at a speed Izzy can't possibly run at! When he got there, he paddled out as far as he can go without the current taking him. Otto took a deep breath and dived under. He looked as much as possible before coming back up for air. He didn't find Twister or his board. He sighed with relief.

'_Whew. At least he didn't drown._' His eyes widened yet again. '_What if because I wasn't around to test any of his potions, Izzy grabbed Twister?_' He then imagined a possible scenario.

_"GWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!" Izzy laughed at the cowering Twister. "Now it's time to meet your fate."_

_"No!" Twister yelled as he tried to get away. "I don't wanna test out your potion!" He ran a little further before running into Izzy. He ran again, but the caped teen proved much too fast for the aspiring cameraman. The wizard soon cornered Twister against a wall and grew twenty feet tall._

_"Now you'll test it." He snarled as he poured a green liquid on Twister. In a cloud of smoke, the skater transformed into a frog wearing a striped hat. _

_"GWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!" Izzy laughed again as the daydream ended._

"NOOOOOOOOO!!!" Otto yelled as he swam back to shore. He ran to the Shack. The whole place was empty except for Izzy, who was sleeping at a table. There was something by his head. And what was beside his head, you ask? Well, it was a cage. And now—::Drum roll::—the cage contained a—

"Frog?!" Otto gasped. He stormed up to Izzy and grabbed him by the shirt, instantly waking him up.

"Uh? Wha?" He sputtered. Otto's hands went to his throat.

"What did you do to Twister!?!" He yelled.

"Ack! Twister?" Izzy croaked. "I don't know what you're talking about!" Otto didn't remove his hands.

"Liar! You got a frog in that cage!"

"I know that!" Izzy struggled to say. Otto only squeezed harder.

"You turned Twister into a frog! And after I saved your life?!"

"What?!" Izzy got out of Otto's grip. "Are you nuts!? I didn't turn him into a frog!" Otto seemed to be calming down as Izzy took in some air.

"So you didn't see Twister?"

"No. Nobody came in since the Shack opened today." Izzy replied. "And what was that all about!?"

"Nothing. Sorry." Otto said. The other boy grunted and crossed his arms in response.

"And another thing, where have you been? I had a transformation potion to test, but you were nowhere to be found."

"So what's with the frog?" Otto asked, ignoring Izzy's question.

"I used the potion on a rock. That's what it became."

"You didn't use it on anybody else, did you?" Otto asked with suspicion. Izzy looked away.

"Well…" Just then, a white rabbit wearing a green bucket hat hopped in from the back room, followed by a big brown one. Otto looked at them and gave Izzy a hard look.

"Ok, ok! I'll change them back!" The caped kid yelled as he clapped his hands. In a puff of smoke, Ray & Tito turned back to their normal forms. They turned to Izzy with a cold glare. The boy gulped and turned to Otto.

"'Twister's missing,' you say? Well, I'm willing to forego my duties as delivery boy to help you look for him."

"But…" Otto started. Ray & Tito started to advance.

"No buts! Now!" Izzy dragged him out before the two adults can attack.

-----------------------------

"So, where do we start?" Izzy asked. They were far away from the pier. Otto was in his regular clothes again. He was also wearing his blades.

"I don't know." He sighed. "I've already looked at a few places. How about flying up and see if you can spot him?"

"Alright." Izzy jumped and floated up until he was a couple hundred feet in the air. He looked as far as his eyes can see. After a few minutes, he floated back down and shook his head at the hopeful Otto.

"I didn't see him anywhere."

"Come on. Let's try the arcade." Otto said. The duo skated off.

At the arcade…

"I can't believe there are still arcades around." Izzy said in astonishment as he & Otto walked inside.

"It makes sense. Remember, the animators are VERY old fashioned." Otto replied.

"Animators? I thought this dimension was brought to life by the boss."

(Me: oO What on Earth makes you think that? This is FANFICTION, remember? I got nothing to do with these dimensions except little things I add.)

"Oh. Well, why would Twister be here? I thought the only one into games was Sam."

"What?! Dude, of course the rest of us play games!" Otto replied, referring to himself, Reggie, and Twister.

"Oops. Sorry." They were silent after that as they started to look for Twister. They looked in every possible area. By the Dance Dance Revolution game, the huge racing games, the Star Wars games, even the—ick!—horror shooter games. Not a trace of Twister was seen. Discouraged, they left the arcade.

"Maybe he got hungry." Izzy said thoughtfully. Otto shrugged.

"Worth a shot, I guess." They then went into every restaurant in Ocean Shores (except for the Shack). They didn't see hide or hair of Twister. He wasn't even enjoying any ice cream. Otto was clearly getting more and more upset by the minute.

"Ugh! Let's try interrogating everybody in town!" He yelled as he skated in one direction. Izzy gave the camera a confused glance.

"What's his deal?" With a shrug, he went to question possible suspects as well. He walked up to someone in a red cape. "Excuse me. Have you seen a kid about this high, wearing a striped hat, possibly with a camera?" The person turned around. He was about five feet tall, had brown hair and pretty pale skin. He gave a wicked grin as he saw Izzy.

"No, but I've found you!" The boy said as he pulled out a dark blue wand that was as curvy as a snake. Izzy groaned.

"Not again." The wizard shot energy at him.

-----------------------------

"Have you seen Twister?" Otto asked Eddie, who shook his head in response. Sighing, he skated up to a girl who was about four feet tall with red pigtails.

"Mackenzie, have you seen Twist?" He asked the eleven year-old.

(A/N: She had to grow up too, ya know.)

"Maybe I did, maybe I didn't." She replied as she crossed her arms. "What's in it for me?"

'_Still the same way. Little spoiled—_' Otto thought. "What if I said you'd be helping a great cause?"

"I'd say get lost! Hippie." Mackenzie replied as she started to storm off. Otto quickly got in her way.

"Do you know where Twister is or not!?" He yelled. Mackenzie balled up a fist and punched Otto in his not-nice place. He collapsed, holding his pills.

"Ok… Maybe she doesn't know where he is after all." He muttered in a high voice. "I wonder if Izzy's doing any better."

-----------------------------

"Aww come on! What'd I do to you!?" Izzy yelled as he dodged a stream of water.

"Nothing. I just want the reward for turning you in!" The other wizard replied as he shot another stream of water. Izzy blocked it with a Water Shield.

"Oh great! Now there's a price on my head!? When I deal with that idiotic king, he's gonna hear it from me!" He started to charge energy with a smirk. "But in the mean time… Thunderbolt!" He shot electric energy at the other boy, who was blasted off towards the beach. Izzy dusted off his hands.

"That'll show ya. Now to find Twister." He turned around, only to be confronted by about twenty or so wizards and witches. They all seemed to be out for blood. He turned his back on them.

"I can never catch a break, huh?" He then skated off, followed by the mob.

Later…

"There you are!" Izzy yelled as he ran up to Otto at the cul-de-sac. He looked banged up. He immediately lunged at the smaller boy and started to throttle him. "Do you have any idea what I've just been through!?"

"No, but I think you'll tell me anyway." Otto struggled to reply. Izzy let him go.

"I've been chased, blasted, and trampled by a bunch of stupid, greedy wizards & witches! And for what, huh? Your friend who we haven't even found!?" He started moving towards the Rocket house. "Well you know what? I could care less! I'm gonna go heal and then go back to the Shack to salvage what's left of my work day! I just hope Ray & Tito got over that whole rabbit thing."

At the Shack…

"You see him?" Tito asked. He was holding a frying pan.

"No, but he'd better come back soon if he knows what's good for him." Ray replied. He had a meat tenderizer in his hand.

Back at the cul-de-sac…

"Come on, Izzy. Just one more sweep of the city?" Otto begged. Izzy turned and walked back to him. The skater put on a grin.

"No. Way." Izzy replied as he turned around.

"Come on! Help a buddy here!" Otto jumped and clung to Izzy's cape. It was then that Sam & Reggie chose to walk in on this scene.

"Are you crazy!? Let go! I'm NOT going back to that nuthouse!" Izzy yelled as he pulled on his cape.

"oO Uhhh… What's going on here?" Reggie asked. Otto & Izzy faced the other two teenagers.

"Reg, Sam! Help!" Otto yelled as he let go of Izzy, causing him to tumble backwards. Otto ran up to the other two. "I've been looking for Twist all day and he's nowhere!"

"That's because he's at the hospital." Sam said.

"The hospital!?!" Otto and Izzy asked.

"oO Wait. You've been looking for Twister ALL day? Why?" Reggie asked, giving her brother a suspicious look.

"What? Can't a guy want to hang out with his best friend?" Otto defended. Sam's words sunk in. "He's in the hospital!? Oh God! I'm coming, Twister!!!" He bolted for the hospital, leaving everybody else in the dust.

"What IS his deal!?" Sam asked with a bewildered expression.

"I've been wondering that since I arrived." Izzy said, shaking his head as walked up to them. "In any case, why's Twister in the hospital?"

At the ER…

"Twister?" Otto whispered as he walked in the hospital room. His best bud was lying in bed, sleeping. Otto immediately ran to his bro's bedside. "Oh man… What happened to you?" Twister started to stir. He opened his eyes and turned his head towards Otto.

"O-Otto? Is that you?" He asked with a raspy voice. Otto shushed him.

"What could possibly have happened to put you in this situation? Just moments from death?" He asked, getting teary-eyed. Twister's eyes widened.

"But—"

"Not to worry, Twister. I'll be with you to the very end. That's what best bros are for." Otto interrupted. Twister shrugged and put on a small smile. "If there's anything you need before the end comes, just tell me."

"Anything?" Twister asked with that raspy voice.

"Sure. You know, stuff like last-minute confessions, last meals, that sorta thing."

"Well, there is one thing…"

"Sure. What do you need?" Otto asked, he moved closer to Twister.

"I would like…" Twister started as he moved towards Otto.

"Yes?" By now, their lips were almost touching. Otto could feel Twister's hot breath on his lips. He closed his eyes in sweet anticipation.

"A cup of ice cream." Twister finished.

"_What?!_" Otto asked as he stood up.

"He gets as much ice cream as he wants." Otto turned around at the sound of Izzy's voice. The wizard was leaning against the door frame with his arms crossed.

"What do you mean?" Otto asked. Izzy started to move menacingly towards the skater.

"Twister is here for his tonsillectomy. His life isn't in any danger." He replied as he made a cup of ice cream appear. He handed it to Twister, who dug in.

"You mean we did all that searching when he was just here to get his tonsils taken out?!" Otto yelled. Twister looked up from his ice cream to give his trademark chuckle.

"Yep. Guess so. Speaking of our little hunt…" Izzy said as he snatched one of Otto's dreads. "We gotta talk." He forcefully dragged Otto out of the room.

"Wow. Otto really cares for me." Twister said with a grin as the sounds of much kicking and punching can be heard in the background. "I wonder… Nah!" Outside, Otto was screaming for help. He tried to get back in the room, but Izzy pulled him right back out. "He's just a really good friend. Kinda nuts, but a good friend."

-----------------------------

"Ya know this gives me a great opportunity to test out this healing potion." Izzy said to the now bruised-and-battered Otto. They were in the Rockets' kitchen again. He handed Otto a cup filled with a purple liquid. The skater chugged it and the wounds inflicted by the wizard healed. There was just one problem.

"Izzy, I'm going to ask you this one time." Otto said. Izzy looked at him with a horrified expression. "Why do I look like a frog!?!" His normally tanned skin was replaced by scaly, warty skin.

"Err… I guess I used too many frogs' eyes. Look on the bright side. You can work for the circus! I can see it all now. 'Come see the amazing Rocket Frog!'" Izzy replied with a laugh.

::CLANG!::

"Change me back!" Otto yelled.

"Right… On it." Izzy said, rubbing the lump caused by the frying pan Otto whomped him with.

Later…

"Alright. This should hopefully cure you." Izzy handed Otto the new potion. The frog quickly drank it. In a puff of smoke, he became a very irate rabbit. "Ehh… What's up doc?" Izzy rolled over laughing.

"Not funny!" Otto yelled.

::CLANG!::

-----------------------------

"This had better work." Otto growled as Izzy handed him another potion.

"Yeah. I think I'm starting to lose my short term memory." He replied as Otto drank the potion. In a puff of smoke, he became human again.

"Finally! Now, I'm going to sleep." Otto started leaving the kitchen when Izzy noticed he had a shark's fin growing out of his back. He shrugged.

"Heh. Close enough."

The next day…

'_Now that Twister's out of the hospital, I can FINALLY give him this potion! And since Izzy's little rabbit stunt, he's stuck at the Shack while I'm free! This is perfect!_' Otto thought. He was skating towards the pier, love potion in hand and ready to get the boy of his dreams. He got to Mad Town where he saw Twister, Reggie, and Sam skating around on the half pipe.

"Hey guys!" He yelled as he gave them a wave. The others gave him a hello as well.

"Don't you have work to do?" Sam asked.

"Didn't you hear?" Reggie started. "Izzy turned Raymundo & Tito into rabbits yesterday, so he got busted and is doing the deliveries all by himself." Nearby, a blur passed by, grumbling about spoiled sports.

"How long is he stuck for?"

"Well, they weren't rabbits for long, so he's only alone in there for today." Otto answered.

"Come on! Let's shred!" Twister brought the conversation to an end as he went down the half pipe on his board. Otto gaped in amazement as his best bro nailed a 360 with absolutely no trouble at all.

'_Wow. I had no idea he got so much better._' He thought with admiration. He watched Twister go at it a few more times. His mouth was nearly touching the floor.

"Otto! It's your turn!" Reggie yelled, bringing him out of his stupor.

"Uhh…right." He replied. He put down the thermos containing the potion and dropped in, doing a few spins and mcTwists. The others took their turns. After about an hour, they stopped to rest. Twister was looking especially tired.

'_Now's my chance._' Otto thought as he grabbed the thermos and walked over to Twister. "Hey, you alright Twist?"

"Yeah. Just a little thirsty." Twister replied.

"Here. You can have this." Otto handed him the thermos.

"What's in it?" Twister asked as he eyed the bottle. Otto started sweating.

"Uhhh it's fruit punch Gatorade."

"Oh cool. You sure I can have this?"

"Yeah. It's no problem." Otto replied. '_Come on. Drink!_'

"Well, cheers." Twister opened the thermos and took a generous swig of the potion. He then wiped his mouth and gave the thermos back to his pal. "Thanks man. That's some good Gatorade."

Otto paled.

"Uhhh… Don't you feel any different?"

"Hmmm…nope. Except that I'm not thirsty anymore, I feel the same. Why?" Twister answered. Otto's pupils shrunk to the size of a crumb. His face turned dark red in anger. He balled up his fists and delivered the loudest scream ever recorded.

-----------------------------

'_Why do I suddenly have a feeling of foreboding?_' Izzy thought as he flew back to the Shack after making a delivery.

-----------------------------

"Otto! What happened?!" Reggie asked as she & Sam ran up to Otto & Twister. The former just started stomping off towards the Shack, leaving the others confused and scared.

Otto was seething, furious that his plan backfired. He went through all that—getting stung by bees and looking all over for Twister—and the potion didn't even work! He waited inside the Shack as Izzy flew overhead. The caped guy allowed gravity to affect him. Just before he landed, he did a flip and landed on his left foot. A little out of breath, he walked inside.

"Whew. How much longer before the day's done?" He asked himself as he started walking towards the back room. He almost got inside when a gloved hand grabbed his throat.

"Ack! Well, at least that explains the feeling I got earlier." Izzy was spun around and brought face to face with a glaring Otto. He gulped. "Uhh…hi?"

"You…" Otto growled. Izzy groaned.

"What'd I do now?! I didn't use any potions!"

"You didn't use any, but one of them sure messed up."

"What do you mean?" Izzy asked.

"Your love potion didn't affect Twi—my friend's crush!" Otto replied. The other boy raised an eyebrow.

"It didn't work? How can that be?"

"I don't know, but you're gonna find out and fix it!"

"Fine. I'll deal with it after work." Izzy said as he started going to the back room. Otto grabbed him again.

"Not later. NOW!!!" And with that, he dragged Izzy, kicking and screaming, back to his house.

-----------------------------

"Ok. I found a little note about the potion." Izzy said with his nose buried in his potion book. He & Otto were in the living room.

"What's it say?" Otto asked.

"'The potion will NOT work if both people are in love with each other.'" Izzy read. "Hmmm… Does that mean that your friend's crush likes your friend? Of course! _That's_ why it didn't work! I guess that means we wasted all that time getting the ingredients for the potion." He nodded to himself.

"What do you think, Otto? Otto?" Izzy heard a thud behind him. He looked over the back of the sofa. Otto was laying there, eyes closed, with a VERY toothy grin on his face. Izzy turned to the camera.

"Did I miss something?"

The next day…

"Izzy, I hope you're ready." Adrian said to himself. He was standing on top of a building. The sky was starting to darken. He flew down to the beach, where some other wizards & witches were waiting anxiously for something.

"So, he's finally coming?" A young wizard asked his mother.

"Yes dear. He's finally coming to destroy these humans." The woman replied rather cheerfully. Adrian gave her a look of disgust and turned back towards the ocean.

'_I really hope you can handle yourself._' He thought.

Elsewhere…

"Ya! Ya! Ya! Ya!" Izzy yelled as he stabbed the air with his sword. He & Otto were at the forest training. Izzy started to fly through the air, slashing at any trees that got in his way. When he got back to Otto, the trees started falling.

"Rocket Accel!" He created the illusion that he passed through the fallen trees real fast. The logs became fire wood. He then slashed the wood until they were just splinters. Izzy dug the sword into the ground and leaned on it, panting heavily.

"Man that was awesome!" Otto said.

"Thanks. I better continue." Izzy replied as he got back up. He started to charge energy into the sword when the ground started shaking. "What the—!?"

"It's an earthquake!" Otto yelled as he grabbed onto a tree.

-----------------------------

Back in town, things were a lot worse. The quake the citizens were experiencing was far worse than what Otto & Izzy were dealing with. In the ocean a couple of miles away from the amusement park, the water was bubbling. Something was rising out of it. It looked like the top of a tower. The wizards & witches at the beach bowed in respect, despite the tremors growing worse.

"Ahhh! What's going on! Earthquakes aren't this bad!" Sam yelled over the noise.

"And where's Otto?!" Twister asked.

"I think he went with Izzy into the woods!" Reggie replied.

"What's that thing?!" Sam asked while pointing towards the beach. They gasped as they saw part of a castle rising out of the sea.

"I think we're in trouble." Reggie said.

-----------------------------

"Something's wrong. No earthquake lasts this long." Otto said with concern. Izzy nodded in agreement.

"Yeah." He put on a thinking pose. "I wonder…" He started to fly into the air. He flew over the trees and gasped when he saw that the castle had fully risen. A bright light was flickering on the top. Izzy's eyes widened.

"Oh crap!" He quickly flew back down to Otto and encased the both of them in the strongest Power Shield he could muster. A white light surrounded the entire shield. When the light faded, Izzy's shield shattered and he slumped to the ground.

"Izzy, you ok?!" Otto asked.

"Yeah…" Izzy groaned as he stood up. He then stomped the ground in anger. "I don't believe this!"

"What happened?"

"The earthquake… It was caused by the Wizard King." Izzy replied. "And that bright light…" His eyes widened. "Come on! We gotta go back to town!" He grabbed Otto's hand and ran off.

-----------------------------

A/N:

Izzy: ::Crosses arms:: You tortured Otto too much in that chapter.

Me: ::Grins:: Wait until next chapter. Anyway, what will happen now? Tune in next time!

Izzy: Now who do you identify the great Lars with?

Me: ::Gets in a thinking pose:: Let's see now… The great Lars challenges Otto to different things on a daily basis. They're both rivals. They also fight almost all the time. It's like a battle of the titans whenever they butt heads. Plus, I consider Lars to be the master of darkness, evil, and all that is ultimate in this dimension.

Izzy: You don't mean…

Me: Yes! I identify the great Lars with the great Shadow the hedgehog! GWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!

Izzy: ::Shrugs and rolls his eyes:: Shoulda seen it coming. Now why do you identify Twister with Knuckles?

Me: It's pretty obvious if you think about it. Both the guardian of the Master Emerald and our lovely cameraman share one important personality trait.

Izzy: Well…?

Me: They're both…

Izzy: Yes?

Me: They're both…

Izzy: Yes?!

Me: They're both…!

Izzy: **YES!?**

Me: ::Grins:: Gullible.

Izzy: ::Gapes:: WHAT!?!

Me: See ya next time, folks!


	11. Get in the Castle!

::Izzy and I are standing on a stage. There is a big screen TV behind us. A VCR is connected to it::

Me: Ya know something, Izzy?  
  
Izzy: Yeah Boss?  
  
Me: I've always had this one question on my mind since I started watching Rocket Power.  
  
Izzy: What?  
  
Me: It's a pretty perplexing question, but here goes. Why does Otto ALWAYS wear his sunglasses, even at night?  
  
Izzy: Good question. Not even YOU wear sunglasses at night and you wear them on cloudy days in the winter!  
  
Me: ::Shrugs:: What can I say? I like to look good.  
  
Izzy: ¬¬ Uh-huh... Anyway, about that question, you want me to grab Otto?  
  
Me: Nah. I would rather provide my own hypothesis, if you will.  
  
Izzy: oO Ok, you're creeping me out with that Science act of your's.  
  
Me: -- Anyway, to provide a little humor, I have with me extensive evidence telling the absolute reason why Otto Rocket always wears sunglasses, even in the dead of night.  
  
Izzy: Well, what proof do ya have?  
  
Me: This. ::Makes a video tape appear in my hand:: This is a little something I found while researching the answer to our little enigma. I will show it…after the chapter!  
  
------------------------------------  
  
The Runaway Ch. 11: Get in the Castle!  
  
(A/N: Sorry for stalling the chapter, but I gotta say this. For this chapter and the remainder of the fic, the references may be a tad, how do I say this, random, especially in this chapter. Just know that it's for the overall benefit of the fic since a few of these upcoming references will help the delicate balance between fan character and normal character.)  
  
"Just as I feared. The whole place is deserted." Izzy said as he and Otto skated (Otto was in his blades) around the city. The whole place seemed dead. Nobody was around.  
  
"What happened here?" Otto asked as he looked at the cracked ground and fallen trees. The city looked like a war zone.  
  
"I'm not sure, but I think the king used a spell to teleport all the humans somewhere."  
  
"But where?" They then stopped and looked at the dark castle.  
  
"He must be holding them prisoner somewhere in there." Izzy replied. Otto gasped.  
  
"That means they have Twister too!" Izzy looked at him funny. "Oh, and the others too."  
  
"¬¬ Uh-huh." They started to skate again. "Well, there's not much we can do."  
  
"What do you mean!?" Otto yelled. "We gotta go in there and rescue them!" They stopped again.  
  
"And how do you expect us to do that?! Bad enough I hardly had any time to train, but my only companion is a human with NO powers! We can't possibly challenge the king and his forces!" Izzy protested. He sighed. "Listen, just move out of here. I'm sure everybody can survive a few years at the most."  
  
"I just can't do that." Otto said, shaking his head. "You may be alone in the world, but I have family and friends to worry about." Izzy gave him an apprehensive look. "If you won't help them, I will!"  
  
"You can't!"  
  
"If I don't, then who will?" Otto shot back. Izzy sighed.  
  
"There's just no compromising with you humans." He chuckled. "Fine. I'll help."  
  
"You will?" Otto asked hopefully.  
  
"Yeah, but only because you wouldn't stand a chance against them!" Izzy started to skate again. "Come on. Let's go back to your place." Otto followed him.  
  
------------------------------------  
  
"Oh man… Where are we?" Twister asked. He was in a crowded room. The room was dark except for a few dimly lit candles and some windows. On either side of the room, many wizards & witches were standing guard, talking amongst themselves. He looked up and saw some wizards flying around. Some were on broomsticks while others flew without any sort of help. He looked ahead and saw a stage.  
  
"I don't know, but we should try to find our parents." Reggie said.  
  
"Sam! Saaaam! Where are you?" The group heard a female voice yell.  
  
"Maurice! Lars! You around here?" Two other voices yelled.  
  
"Reggie! Otto! Where are you guys?" They heard Ray yell.  
  
"Well _that_ was easy." Sam said. The trio was then joined by their parents and Tito.  
  
"Hey, where's Otto?" Tito asked.  
  
"He was with—" Reggie started, but she was cut off by the sound of cheering coming from the wizards and witches in the hall.

On the stage, a cloud of black smoke appeared. It then dissipated, revealing a man clad in all black. A twisted mustache was on his face. A beard covered his face. An extremely wicked-looking black wand was secured in his right hand. A golden crown was on his head. Twister and the others remembered him from Izzy's flashback. The king looked around the room at all the humans with his cold eyes. He gave a chilling sneer.  
  
"Welcome to my castle, humans." He started in a voice as cold as ice. "I am Claudius, the king of all wizards and witches. I doubt any of you know why you're here. I am looking for a criminal. This outlaw is a wizard, like me. He wears a black cape and has the ability to run at the speed of light, maybe faster." That description caused some conversation among the crowd.  
  
"His name is Izzy." Claudius continued. "He is wanted for treason against the wizarding world. I want him! If anybody here knows where he is, speak up and I will let you go. Fail to talk and I will take great pleasure in torturing each and every one of you." He smiled with glee as the whole room erupted in screams. Just then, Adrian appeared on stage.  
  
"Ahhh Adrian. What can I do for you?" Claudius asked.  
  
"About Izzy..." Adrian started. He whispered the rest. As Adrian finished his report, Claudius got a furious look on him.  
  
"WHAT!?! I didn't get him when I used my spell!? Go out there and search for him! The strongest wizard must not interfere!" He yelled.  
  
"You mean Harry Potter?" Twister's voice spoke up. The young witches in the room started giggling.  
  
"Like, oh my God! Harry's coming!? I've GOT to get ready." One witch said, sounding like a valley girl.  
  
"Think he's coming for me?" Another witch asked.  
  
"Dream on, girl. Obviously, he's coming for me." A third witch said. That started a little argument. Every other magical person in the room started flinging insults at each other. They were all arguing about whether Harry would give them an autograph or perform a few spells. Claudius' eye started twitching.  
  
"Will you all SHUT UP!!!" Everybody got silent after hearing the king bellow. "First of all, wrong series. Second of all, who started this!?!" Everybody pointed at Twister. "You."  
  
"Me?" Twister asked.  
  
"Yes. You've got a big mouth. Obviously, you know where Izzy is. Where is he?"  
  
"I don't know." Twister replied.  
  
"Liar! You know where he is. Tell me!"  
  
"No way, dude! I don't know where he is. He certainly wouldn't be in the cul-de-sac on the hill."  
  
"TWISTER!!!!!" Everybody else yelled.  
  
"Smooth move, genius!" Reggie yelled.  
  
"Yeah. Now these idiots will grab Otto & Izzy!" Sam yelled.  
  
"Idiots, huh? Guards! Arrest those three!" Claudius ordered. "I have plans for them." Three wizard guards that were in the air swooped down and nabbed the three teens. "As for the rest of you, to the dungeon!" All the other humans were herded out of the assembly hall.  
  
Back at the Rocket house…  
  
"Will you hurry up?" Otto asked impatiently. Izzy was vigorously mixing potions on every section of the stove.  
  
"I'm going as fast as I can!" He said. He mixed for a little longer before reciting a few spells. He then produced some glass beakers and poured the potions inside. "There. I have made some bomb potions and tons of healing potions for us to use. There are just a few more things to take care of."  
  
"Like what?" Otto asked.  
  
"Well, you need protection in case we get separated in the castle. I have just the thing." Izzy went out to the backyard, followed by Otto. The wizard started humming while holding his hands in front of him. A ball of light was forming in front of him.  
  
"I call upon the forces of nature!" He started. "Grant a tool that will allow one to fly with the power and agility of a raccoon, swim with the grace of a frog, command fire, grow to great heights, become immortal with the power of the cosmos." The ball got brighter. "Control metal, be as stealthy as a ghost."  
  
"Anything else?" The ball suddenly asked, startling Otto, but not affecting Izzy.  
  
"Yeah. Give the ability to toss hammers and a few others things." He replied bluntly.  
  
"With a side of fries!" Otto added.  
  
"Damn! That's a tall order!" The ball yelled. "Fine. Here ya go." A huge flash of light came from the ball, blinding the two boys. When the light subsided, a yellow block with a question mark pictured on it was floating. Izzy grabbed it.  
  
"What is that? It looks like a huge building block." Otto said.  
  
"This is called a power block." Izzy started. He then looked up. "That's the best you got!?"  
  
(Me: I'd like to see you try something better!)  
  
"-- Never mind. Anyway, this block will provide you some protection."  
  
"How?" Otto asked. Izzy gave him a smirk.  
  
"And I thought you played video games. You just hit the block and a magic item will appear for you to use. Like so." He punched the block and a metallic bucket hat appeared. He put it on over his normal hat and his body became encased in a liquid-like metal. He then took it off. The hat disappeared as his body returned to normal.  
  
"This has to be the biggest reference in the whole fic." Otto muttered as he took the power block. It shrunk as he pocketed it.  
  
"Probably, but one more couldn't hurt." Izzy replied. He then brought out a rope. "And now, to make sure we DON'T get separated..." He made the rope glow brightly. When it stopped glowing, it still looked like an ordinary rope.  
  
"Did you do _anything_?"  
  
"Yeah. This rope is now super elastic. We tie one end around each other and we'll be able to find each other if something happens."  
  
"Is this another reference?" Otto asked.  
  
"I don't know. Is it?" Izzy replied, scratching his head.  
  
(Me: I don't think so... Continue.)  
  
"Anyway, we're all set. All we gotta do is pack up the potions and get going."  
  
"Cool." Otto said as they walked back in the house. '_I gotta save Twister and everybody else._' They packed the potions into Otto's backpack, unaware of the thermos already in there. Izzy tied the rope around both of their waists. They then went out the front door. Lightning streaked across the sky. The wizard gulped.

'_Well, this is it. No turning back._' He thought as he closed his eyes and held up a fist. '_Wand or no wand, I WILL defeat the king if it's the last thing I'll ever do!_'  
  
"You ready?" He asked Otto, who was strapping on his blades.  
  
"Yeah." He nodded. "Let's do it." Izzy started running down the hill with Otto skating behind.

'_I can't believe everybody's in trouble._' The red haired boy thought. '_Twister, Sam, Reggie, Raymundo, Tito… I'll save you guys and everybody else!_' They went along in silence until…  
  
"There you are!" A voice yelled. Otto & Izzy looked up to see a bunch of wizards and witches floating in the air. They were preparing to attack.  
  
"I don't have time for this!" Izzy yelled as he fired multiple Power Beams at the attacking group. They moved out of the way and fired at the duo. Izzy activated a Power Shield and blocked the attack. The two teens accelerated, but the attacking wizards were gaining on them.

Otto & Izzy skated/ran up a nearby ramp and jumped. They both spun in the air to gain more ground. At the apex of their jump, Izzy flicked the switches on his air skates. As soon as they landed, he started skating, increasing his speed by a considerable amount. The duo made it to the pier. They stopped and looked at the castle.  
  
"How are we supposed to get across the water to the castle?" Otto asked.  
  
"I guess we get as close as possible on the pier." Izzy replied. They started skating again. They passed the Shack when an explosion occurred right in front of them. A couple of wizards came out from behind the music store. One was tall and skinny and the other one was short and fat.  
  
"Aww crap." Otto said.  
  
"Well lookie here! It's the so-called 'great' Izzy!" The taller of the two wizards yelled.  
  
"Yeah! Let's take him!" The stout wizard said.  
  
"Man… Do we really have to do this?" Izzy asked.  
  
::RPG MODE!::  
  
The camera shifted to a top-down view. Otto and Izzy were on the bottom of the screen and the two wizards were at the top.  
  
"The HELL!?!" Otto & Izzy yelled.  
  
(Me: A homage to a great game. Continue.)  
  
"-- I hate these references." Otto said. The good guys' HP was displayed. Izzy's was a respectable 10,000/10,000 while Otto's was, eh, 5,000/5,000. "Why so low!?!"  
  
(Me: Well, you ARE human!)  
  
"Ugh!" Otto groaned. Izzy then faced the camera and four symbols surrounded his face. At the top was a square with an X inside. On the left was one with a Y inside. The right square had an A in it and the bottom one had a B on it. Izzy selected the Y symbol and a list of his magic moves was displayed.  
  
"Power Beam!" He yelled as he stepped forward. He charged energy and fired the orange beam at the tall wizard that was ahead of him. The wizard sustained 1,000HP of damage and disappeared. The fat wizard looked terrified as he saw what happened to his partner. It was now Otto's turn. Like Izzy, he faced the camera and the same symbols appeared. He selected the B symbol and chose to defend. He held up his arms in a defensive position.  
  
"Why did you do that?" Izzy asked.  
  
"I can't attack a wizard!" Otto replied. Izzy slapped his head. It was the fat wizard's turn.  
  
"Waterfall!" He held out his wand and aimed it at Izzy. A huge cascade rained down on him. When the attack ended, he had taken 1,560HP worth of damage. Izzy shook the water out of his head and squeezed the water out of his hat. He took a deep breath as he prepared to attack.  
  
"Thunderbolt!" He yelled. A huge bolt of lightning struck the fat wizard, making him disappear as well. Otto & Izzy did their victory poses. Izzy's was a peace sign and Otto's was a thumbs-up. They both got fifty-five Exp. points and a bottle of Kerokero Cola.  
  
::END RPG MODE!::  
  
(A/N: Despite the huge numbers, that was a reference to Super Mario RPG, one of the best Mario games ever.)  
  
"Thank God that's over." Otto said as he put the frog-shaped bottle in his bag.  
  
"Yeah. Now why didn't you attack when you knew you had an item to use?" Izzy asked.  
  
"I had an item?" Otto replied. He then slapped his head. "Oh yeah... Forgot about that."  
  
"Whatever. Let's move on." They skated along until Izzy bumped into a random witch in the amusement park, which caused another transition.  
  
::RPG MODE!::  
  
The camera shifted to a side view (Think 2-D games), showing parts of the amusement park, which looked like they came from a pop up book. Otto & Izzy walked in from the left side of the screen. They also looked like they belonged in said book. Their eyes were little dots and their bodies were smaller than usual. Not to mention they were paper thin.  
  
"-- This had better be the last RPG reference." Izzy growled.  
  
(Me: ::Looks at them:: Pffft! BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!)  
  
" This ain't funny!" Otto yelled. Just then, three witches, looking the same way as our heroes, entered from the right. Two of them were on the ground with the third riding a broomstick. They started to cackle.  
  
"Eeeehehehehehe! It looks like the little brat wants to challenge the king!" The flying witch said.  
  
"You're damn right I wanna challenge the king! Get outta my way!" Izzy barked.  
  
"And you brought a dirty little human too!? How impolite." One of the witches on the ground said.  
  
"Dirty? Look who's talking!" Otto yelled back as he took out the power block.  
  
"Ooh! It looks like they wanna fight!" The last witch yelled.  
  
"Let's show 'em, girls!" The lead witch said. Izzy's heart & flower points appeared. He had ten of each. It was his turn first.  
  
"Let's try a team attack." He said to Otto.  
  
"Right." Otto agreed. Izzy grabbed the rope and started spinning him around. He soon let the skater go and he crashed into the two witches on the ground, eliminating them. Otto came back to his side of the field, moving around dizzily. "Duuuuude… All the stars…"  
  
"o.O I guess you skip your turn then…" Izzy said.  
  
"I can't believe they did that." The floating witch said to herself. "You won't get away with this!" She launched a fireball from her wand at Izzy. He got hit and lost 3HP.  
  
"Ow! Ok. It's our turn again. You feeling better?" Izzy asked.  
  
"Yeah. Let me finish this." Otto said. They switched positions. Otto hit the power block and a hammer popped out. He grabbed it and in a puff of smoke, he was wearing a turtle shell and a black helmet instead of his standard red one. "What the—"  
  
"Hey, you became Hammer Otto!" Izzy laughed. Otto rolled his eyes.  
  
"Whatever." He then lobbed a few hammers at the flying witch, destroying her. The battle ended and the good guys got fifteen star points.  
  
::END RPG MODE!::  
  
Otto & Izzy skated to the end of the pier without running into any more enemies.  
  
"Thank God!" They both yelled. They looked ahead at the castle in the sea. There didn't seem to be any way across the water.  
  
"Well, now what?" Otto asked. Izzy seemed to be thinking.  
  
"I guess we fly over." He replied.  
  
"Maybe you could, but what about me?" Izzy gave Otto a "Duh!" look.  
  
"You can get a flying power up from the block, duh!"  
  
"Oh yeah." Otto replied as he punched the power block. A feather floated out of it. He grabbed it and in a puff of smoke, his hammer suit was replaced by a yellow cape. He was wearing his red helmet again. Izzy snickered. "Let me guess. Cape Otto?"  
  
"Yep." Izzy laughed again.  
  
"Ugh! Anyway, I feel lighter."  
  
"Yeah. Now you can fly across." The duo got a running start and jumped off the pier. They started flying towards the castle.  
  
"Here's something I don't get. If I was able to fly from the start, why didn't we just fly over instead of going through the pier?" Otto suddenly asked.  
  
"Yeah! I wonder!" Izzy yelled sarcastically as he looked up.  
  
(Me: Hey, I needed SOME humor in this chapter!)   
  
"Whatever!" Both boys yelled as they made it to the castle unscathed. They walked towards the huge double doors. When they reached them, they looked around for any sign of enemies, but none were around. Otto pushed the doors to open them, but they wouldn't budge.

"Ugh! Locked!" He grunted as he banged on the right door. Suddenly, the wind picked up his cape.

"Otto…" Izzy started. The skater turned towards him. The air around the wizard was swirling. He was crouching and had his hands cupped. Energy was forming within them. "GET BACK!" Otto nodded and flew behind him.

"Power…BEAM!!!" Izzy held his hands out and fired a huge wave of magical energy at the doors. With a loud boom, they flew off their hinges and into the castle. The wizard panted as he stood.

"Well, that's _one_ way to get inside." Otto commented.

"Come on." Izzy said as they made their way inside.   
  
The room they were in was dark. High in the air floated many platforms, which led to other rooms of the castle. The many candles in the room flickered brightly, though they did little to illuminate the darkness. The front hall was strangely quiet. No one was around aside from the two boys. They proceeded onward, their movements echoing in the hall.  
  
"Where should we look?" Otto asked, breaking the eerie silence.  
  
"I guess we could try the basement. That's where most dungeons are." Izzy replied. He took off his sunglasses and put them in a pocket. Just then, some witches were flying in their direction as a song started.  
  
(A/N: The following songs are from the old Super Mario Bros. 3 & Super Mario World cartoons. #This format# = song lyrics.)  
  
#When you see creatures flying from the sky and you don't know where to turn, just say the word and lead the night.#  
  
The witches fired lightning bolts at the boys as they started to run. They ran up to a low platform and jumped on it. They jumped on another one, dodging another attack in the process. They ran across the third platform and jumped on another one, which connected to a hall. Otto hit the power block and got a flower, allowing him to become Fire Otto. His headband and shorts turned red and his shirt was now white. He surprised Izzy by seemingly tossing a fireball at him. When the wizard ducked, the fireball hit a witch that got in front of them. They skated ahead.  
  
#Just follow me, don't be afraid. No matter what we came.#  
  
They got to a fork in the road when a wind element witch tossed a whirlwind at them.  
  
#Just take my hands and hold on tight. Together we'll take the rain.#  
  
Otto and Izzy got caught in the whirlwind and they clung to each other for safety. Unfortunately, they couldn't hold on for long. They let go and went flying in two directions. They would've gone further, but the rope held them together. They sighed with relief. Just then, a fire element witch launched some fireballs at them! One of the balls hit the rope and burned it, causing Otto & Izzy to be tossed out of the tornado in two directions. Izzy was on the left of the fork and Otto was on the right.  
  
#Right now, it's do or die. Keep running, keep on running!#  
  
Izzy ran further into the hall and into a warp pipe that just appeared. Otto started to move as well before running into a dragon!  
  
#When you see creatures flying from the sky and you don't know where to turn, just say the word and lead the night.#  
  
Otto hit the block again and got a mushroom. He grew to an amazing height and kicked the dragon. He laughed until a nearby wizard shot lightning at him. He got hit and shrunk back to normal size. Otto skated away, dodging two more bolts before hitting the power block and getting a feather.  
  
#Just follow me, don't be afraid. No matter what we came.#  
  
Cape Otto flew into the wizard and through a wall.  
  
----------------------------------------  
  
Izzy came out of the warp pipe and was skating through an open area. Otto emerged a few seconds later, flying by him on his right. He held out his left hand.  
  
#Just take my hands and hold on tight. Together we'll take the rain.#  
  
Izzy grabbed on and they flew up. They twirled around a little before Izzy tossed Otto towards the ground. Using the second power granted by his cape, Rocket Boy crashed through the floor and into another warp pipe. Izzy followed.  
  
#Right now, it's do or die. Keep running, keep on running!#  
  
They got through the warp pipe and ran through a narrow hall, dodging magic blasts and going through another pipe.  
  
#Don't look back! Now it's time to run. Keep running, keep on running!#  
  
The pipe led them to an underwater area. Otto quickly hit the block (how he was able to do it underwater, I wouldn't know) and a frog statue popped out. He grabbed it and became Frog Otto. He started to swim up, followed by Izzy, who was in a Water Shield.  
  
(A/N: Is it possible to envision a seventeen year-old Otto in a frog suit? oO)  
  
#We're under the gun. Keep running, keep on running!#  
  
As they swam, they avoided piranhas and sharks (Otto's suit made him swim faster than normal).  
  
#Don't look back! Now it's time to run!#  
  
The song ended with them swimming through one last pipe and falling. They soon landed with a thud.  
  
"Ouch..." They both groaned as they stood up. They were in a room that resembled the meeting hall Twister and the others were in earlier. The main difference was that instead of a stage, there was a huge chasm with rails suspended over it.  
  
"Where are we?" Otto asked as he took off the frog suit.  
  
"Beats me. We must be pretty deep in the castle though." Izzy replied as he deactivated his shield.  
  
"We have to be if we just swam through that last section. We must be close to the dungeon."  
  
"MWAHAHAHAHA!!!! Not quite, human!" A sinister voice boomed. Izzy got into a defensive position as a wizard wearing silver armor floated down.  
  
"Who are you?" He asked.  
  
"I'm the captain of King Claudius' army and you, young Izzy, are intruding." The wizard replied.  
  
"Duh! I'm well aware of that fact." Izzy said, crossing his arms.  
  
"Well anyway, the king has been expecting you. And you, human, are to join the rest in the dungeon." The captain directed those last words at Otto.  
  
"What!? No way, dude!" Otto stubbornly yelled.  
  
"Oh we'll see about that." The captain replied. He snapped his fingers and almost an entire army of wizards and witches appeared in front of Otto and Izzy, who groaned.  
  
"You gotta be kidding me!" Izzy yelled, slapping his head.  
  
"That's gotta be an entire army!" Otto supplied.  
  
"Not quite. This is just a quarter of the army." The captain replied. "Attack!" The wizards and witches on the ground started to advance. Izzy started to charge energy as Otto hit the power block. A music box popped out.  
  
"What's up with this?" He asked as he inspected the box. He started to turn the handle.  
  
"No! Don't!" Izzy yelled, but it was too late. A song started playing and everybody but Otto started to dance.

"Do da Koopa!" Otto yelled maniacally.  
  
"Do da Koopa! Work da Koopa! Do da Koopa-opa or you'll be a party poopa!" Everybody sang.  
  
"Everybody do da Koopa!" Izzy sang. "Everybody shout it out!" Everybody jumped and spun in the air.  
  
"Everybody do da Koopa!" A random witch sang. "Everybody shake it out!" Everybody jumped and spun again.  
  
"Everybody do da Koopa!" A random wizard sang. "Everybody shake your scales!" Everybody spun without jumping.  
  
"Everybody do da Koopa!" Another wizard sang. "Everybody wag your tails!" He laughed crazily as everybody else shook their butts.  
  
"Do da Koopa! Work da Koopa! Do da Koopa-opa or you'll be a party poopa!" Everybody sang.  
  
"Everybody do da Koopa!" The witch from before sang. "Once you start, you can't stop!"  
  
"Everybody do da Koopa!" Everybody sang again. "Rock, drop, hop and drop and rock, rock, rock until you drop, drop, drop!" Everybody jumped and did a flip in the air. "Do da Koopa! Hit da Koopa! Do da Koopaaaaaa!!!" The song then ended. All the wizards and witches in the room started panting.  
  
"Otto…" Izzy was the first to speak. He gave Otto the death glare of the century. "If we make it out of here alive, do one thing for me."  
  
"Yeah dude?" Otto asked nervously.  
  
"**DON'T PLAY THAT SONG AGAIN!!!**" Izzy roared as he took the music box and stomped on it until it was just splinters and springs. Everybody else started to get over that huge dance number.  
  
"Ugh. That's definitely not a good thing to be doing when you're floating a few feet in the air." The captain said. "Now where were we? Ah yes! You swine aren't even worth the shoes I wear!"  
  
"Oh yeah? See if you can handle this shoe!" Otto challenged as he hit the block. A giant green shoe popped out and he hopped in. The next song started playing.  
  
#It can't stop! It can't start! It can't do more than walk! My Karubi!#  
  
During those words, Otto & Izzy fought off many wizards and witches. Izzy by shooting Power Beams at them and Otto by stomping on them. The two good guys dodged the enemies' energy blasts.  
  
#My Rootin' Tootin' Karubi! Yeah!#  
  
The music stopped with the captain laughing jauntily at Otto and Izzy. They were surrounded on all sides.  
  
"Give me that!" Izzy yelled, snatching Otto's block. He hit it and a star popped out. He grabbed it and his body & clothes started flashing a rainbow of colors. He ran ahead, bumping into wizards and not getting affected by their attacks. He jumped up and punched the captain, knocking him into the chasm. Izzy started to fall as well. Seeing this, Otto quickly hopped over, allowing him to land on the giant shoe. Izzy grabbed Otto's hand and jumped, landed on a rail, and started grinding.  
  
Izzy's invincibility ended and Otto got a leaf out of the block. He grew raccoon ears and a raccoon tail. He took to the air and flew after Izzy. The song started again.  
  
#It can't stop! It can't start! It can't do more than walk! My Karubi!#  
  
Izzy grinded his way into another hall. He got on solid ground and started skating forward. When Otto got there, he hit the power block and got another goomba's shoe. They went ahead, dodging attacks and hitting anybody that got in their way.  
  
#It can't start! It can't dash! It can't move in a flash! My Karubi!#  
  
While skating by Otto, Izzy managed to grab his backpack and put it on. He reached behind him and pulled out a bomb potion just as they went past a fork in the hall. Izzy went to the left & Otto went to the right. The wizards and witches chasing them went after Izzy, leaving Otto to do some damage to the castle with his shoe.  
  
#It can't sniff! It can't zap!#  
  
Izzy jumped and tossed the potion behind him, causing a huge explosion. He switched off the skates and ran at Speed Two, avoiding the flames from the explosion.  
  
#It can't follow a map! My Rootin' Tootin' Karubi! Yeah!#  
  
Izzy tossed more bomb potions behind him. The entire castle seemed to be shaking from the explosions. He soon met up with Otto again. They avoided more attacks and dished out some of their own. Otto (now Fire Otto) started tossing fireballs at their pursers and Izzy fired lightning bolts.  
  
#I got a shoe with powers, yeah! My Karubi takes me everywhere!#  
  
Izzy tossed another bomb potion and held on to Otto while running to avoid the debris.  
  
#Its magic goes! It fits on prizes.#  
  
Some of the wizards got knocked out by the falling rocks. The others chased after our heroes at top speed.  
  
#It can stomp! It can score! It can do a hundred and one! My Karubi!#  
  
Izzy fired an Ice Beam and successfully froze some wizards while avoiding some of their attacks. Otto stomped on some that got ahead of them.  
  
#It can rest! It can sing! It can keep up the pain!#  
  
Izzy tossed the remaining bomb potions he had.  
  
#My Rootin' Tootin' Karubi! Yeah!#  
  
::BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!!!!::  
  
The vibrations of the explosions caused the floor ahead of Otto & Izzy to crumble. They fell in the hole.  
  
#Rootin' Tootin' Karubi! Yeah!#  
  
The song ended with them falling a relatively short distance and skidding to a stop. After catching their breath, they continued on.  
  
At the dungeon…  
  
(A/N: This is what was going on during that last scene.)  
  
::RUMBLE!::  
  
"Man, what's going on up there?" Ray asked.  
  
"Maybe the army came to fight these guys." Tito supplied.  
  
"I don't care about the army! I want to know what happened to my little Maurice!" Sandy, Twister's mom, yelled. She started crying.  
  
"There, there. I'm sure he'll be alright." Raoul comforted.  
  
::BOOM!::  
  
The castle started to shake. The sound of what seemed like laser blasts was heard.  
  
"It sounds like a war is going on up there. I hope Sammy's alright." Paula said with worry heavy in her voice.  
  
"I wonder where's Otto at." Ray said. "At least Reggie's safe, wherever she is."  
  
"He should be safe." Tito offered.  
  
::BOOM!::  
  
"Hey, where's Lars at?" Raoul asked. The other adults looked and saw the young adult watching a fight going on near the end of the giant cell. A bunch of somewhat out of the ordinary people were arguing.  
  
"What are you up to this time, Eggman?!" A blue haired teenager yelled at a fat guy.  
  
"Why should I tell you, hedgehog!? You're not in any condition to stop me!" The fat guy retorted.  
  
"Why you—!" Sonic yelled as he prepared to attack Ivo. A teenager wearing black clothes and air skates like Izzy's got in the way. There were red highlights in his black hair.  
  
"Just step back, faker." The teen said coolly.  
  
"Outta my way, Shadow!" Sonic barked. "And who are you calling faker, faker!?!"  
  
"Sonic, chill!" A little blond haired boy said. He was wearing blue suspenders with the two flaps behind him.  
  
"Listen to Tails." A girl with pink hair said. "We can't do anything here because of these wizards who captured us."  
  
"Yeah Sonic! Listen to Amy and you may not become a causality of my master plan!" Dr. Robotnik laughed heartedly. Sonic, Amy, and Tails glared at him.  
  
"What plan?" Sonic asked. Ivo gave him a smirk.  
  
"Since we're not getting out of here anytime soon, I might as well humor you. As soon as I get the chance, I'll make a deal with this so-called 'wizard king.' We'll be partners and once we take over the world, I'll double-cross him and rule over all! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!"  
  
"O.O Damn! What a laugh!" The others yelled.  
  
"Hey, where's Rouge?" Shadow suddenly asked.  
  
"Yeah. Knuckles is missing too." Tails piped up. They looked around until they saw a guy with red dreadlocks making out with a girl wearing WAY too much make-up. The other characters slapped their heads.  
  
"This is one weird cameo." Sonic muttered.  
  
::BOOOOOOOM!!!::  
  
"Hey! Keep it down in there!" The only wizard guard yelled at the prisoners. The castle started to rumble again.  
  
"You think that might be Izzy causing all that?" Tito asked.  
  
(Me: Thank you, Captain Obvious! Anyway, let's go back to our heroes.)  
  
Outside the dungeon…  
  
"Ok, here's the plan." Izzy whispered to Otto, who was now wearing a tanooki suit. "I'll make it look like I captured you. Hopefully, the guard is too dumb to know who I am. When he goes to open the cell, you attack him and we'll free everybody."  
  
(A/N: For those who haven't played Super Mario Bros. 3, a tanooki Suit is a full-body raccoon suit that allows you to become a statue as well as fly. With that in mind, is it even possible to imagine Otto in a tanooki suit!? He must look pretty dumb in it! XD)  
  
"That doesn't sound too bad." Otto replied.  
  
"Alright then. Let's do it." Izzy said.  
  
In the dungeon...  
  
"This is pretty boring." Ray said. He and rest of the extras/co-stars resided to watching the humanized Sonic cast go at it.  
  
"Alright, you dirty human, it's time to join the rest of your kind in the dungeon!" A familiar voice rang through the air, surprising everyone.  
  
"Hey! Let me go!" An even more familiar voice yelled as footsteps were heard. Everybody turned to the stairs to see what was going on. Izzy soon emerged, forcefully holding Otto.  
  
"Here's a stray I found while patrolling the area." He said to the guard, who scratched his head.  
  
"Right. I'll put him in with the rest." The guard replied as he took Otto and walked over to the cell. All the humans in the cell started to yell at the wizard in the cape.  
  
"Mwahahaha! With all of you in that cell, King Claudius will easily take over this city." Izzy taunted.  
  
"Why are you doing this?!" Ray asked. Otto started to get nervous.  
  
"Uh. Let's see. Maybe it's because I'm a member of the king's army and I'm more powerful than all of you put together?" Izzy replied, playing the part nicely.  
  
"You traitor! After all we did for you!" Tito yelled. Izzy just laughed evilly.  
  
"Yeah Izzy! Why are ya helping out these lame-os!?" Lars suddenly yelled. Izzy and Otto's expression got REALLY nervous. The guard turned to the wizard.  
  
"That hat, that cape. You are—" The guard couldn't finish his sentence as Izzy knocked him to the wall with a Power Beam. The guard slumped to the ground.  
  
"Man, you guys have some big mouths!" Izzy said, crossing his arms. He walked over to the fallen guard.  
  
"Uhhh… What's going on here?" Ray asked Otto.  
  
"Duh! We're here to rescue you! You shouldn't have said anything!" Otto replied. He heard snickers coming from Lars.  
  
"Hey Rocket Dork, what's with the costume? You getting ready for bedtime?" Lars went into his usual laugh. Everybody else got a good look at Otto and went into full blown hysterics.  
  
"-- Come on, Izzy. Let's go fight the wizard king. These guys don't need to be rescued." Otto started moving towards the stairs, shutting everybody up.  
  
"NO WAIT!!!" Everybody yelled as they started rambling apologies. Otto stopped, stood there for a few moments, and turned around with a huge grin on his face.  
  
"PSYCHE! Ha ha!" Everybody gave him a pissed off look.  
  
"I found the keys!" Izzy yelled triumphantly as he walked over to the cell door. "Now which one is it?" He looked at one key.

"The key to the Sudan. Nope." He looked at another.

"The key to the house. Negatory." He looked at yet another!

"The key to the ice cream room. Hmmm…" He pocketed that one and continued looking.  
  
"So where are Twist, Reg, and the Squid?" Otto asked anxiously. The main adults looked at the floor.  
  
"Otto," Ray started solemnly. "Before we got thrown in here, that king took them somewhere." Izzy gasped.  
  
"What!?" Otto yelled. "I'll kill him!" He started to skate to the stairs.  
  
"Chill!" Izzy yelled, blocking Otto's exit with a Power Shield. "You're in no condition to face the king." He then found the right key and unlocked the cell. Everybody else walked out.  
  
"He's got my friends and my sister! Let me go!" Otto roared with rage. He started banging on the shield.  
  
"Not until you calm down." Izzy said smoothly. "Besides, you have another responsibility." That stopped Otto.  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"Why getting these guys out of here, of course." Izzy gestured to the citizens. "You gotta help them escape while I deal with the king. I'll make sure to get our friends back safe and sound."  
  
"But—"  
  
"No." Izzy stated sternly. "You gotta do it. You have the ability to do this." He pointed at the tanooki suit Otto was wearing. The skater sighed.  
  
"Alright, but you better make sure they don't get hurt or worse."  
  
"You have my word. Now let's go." Izzy lowered the shield and led the way up the stairs, followed by Otto and everybody else. When they reached the top, Izzy looked around. He didn't see anybody. He turned back to Otto.  
  
"I guess this is where we part. Make your escape and get out of here." Otto nodded.  
  
"Right. Good luck, dude."  
  
"Same to you." Izzy said before running to the right, into the darkness. Otto turned to the rest.  
  
"Come on! Let's get out of here!" He yelled and he skated to the left. Everybody else cheered and followed as the next song started.  
  
#When they rise, chances light the life, bingo! It'll be the greatest sight!#  
  
Everybody ran into some wizards, who were flying. Otto took to the air and hit three of them with his tail. He flew around enemy fire and hit a fourth one by landing on him as a statue. Otto changed back and started dodging again.  
  
#Get the maestro, let's start up the band!#  
  
Otto whacked some more wizards and witches before hearing Ray scream. He looked down and noticed a wizard preparing to attack the group. Otto flew down, knocked the wizard into the wall, and flew back up.  
  
#Fireworks light up the sky!#  
  
Otto dodged some attacks as a water element witch fired a river of water at him. He quickly hit the block, changed into Frog Otto, and swam through the stream.  
  
#We're gonna be the greatest show in the world as the clowns test their might!#  
  
Otto jumped out of the stream and kicked the witch. Unfortunately, he got knocked into the wall, losing his frog suit in the process. He bounced off and got a super leaf from the block as a wizard was coming to knock him out. Raccoon Otto flew up to the wizard and knocked HIM into the wall with a well-placed whip of his tail.  
  
#When they rise, chances light the life, bingo! It'll be the greatest sight!#  
  
Otto flew up to one wizard and hit him with his tail. He flew up to another and whipped him too.  
  
#Get the maestro, let's start up the band!#  
  
Otto dodged some more attacks before getting hit with a lightning bolt, causing him to lose his raccoon powers and fall. Before he hit the ground though, he hit the power block and got a feather. He became Cape Otto, but he dropped the block in the process! He quickly flew up, avoiding another strike.  
  
#Fireworks light up the sky!#  
  
Otto went to a wall and skated on it, avoiding the attacks of the wizards and witches. He jumped off, spun in the air, and delivered a kick to a nearby wizard. He dodged some attacks, but got hit! He lost his cape and started to fall, but a wizard grabbed him.  
  
#We're gonna be the greatest show in the world as the clowns test their might!#  
  
Witnessing Otto getting captured, Ray picked up the block and punched it. A feather popped out and he grabbed it, becoming Cape Raymundo (try saying that ten times fast!).  
  
#When they rise, chances light the life, bingo! It'll be the greatest sight! Get the maestro, let's start up the band!#  
  
Ray flew up to the wizard and did a spin attack, knocking Otto out of his grip. Ray quickly grabbed Otto's hand, but a wizard rammed into him. He lost his cape and they started to fall, but they were caught by Tito, who was wearing a winged cap. Other humans in capes, winged caps, tanooki suits, and raccoon tails flew up as well and joined the fight.  
  
#Fireworks light up the sky!#  
  
Wizards and witches on the ground started to fire projectiles at the flying humans, but they got struck by the humans on the ground, who were launching fireballs and hammers at them.  
  
::BOOOOOOMMMMM!!!!!!::  
  
#We're gonna be the greatest show in the world as the clowns test their might!#  
  
The song ended with the damaged magical people running away.  
  
"That was close." Tito said as he landed on the ground. He put down Ray & Otto.  
  
"Yeah." Otto said. He was panting after that battle.  
  
"Why didn't you tell us about this thing!?" Lars yelled. Otto looked at him and laughed at the sight. Lars was wearing a hammer suit. He had the power block in one hand.  
  
"Hey Lars, who's ready for bed now?" Otto laughed harder as he saw Lars blush.  
  
"Shut up! Or do ya want some of this?" Lars threatened. He produced a hammer and looked like he was going to toss it.  
  
"Not now, Lars!" Raoul and Sandy yelled. He was wearing a hammer suit and she was wearing a tanooki suit. After a little delegation on what to do, they moved on.  
  
With Izzy…  
  
The castle was vibrating again as many explosions were heard.  
  
"Heh. I guess my plan is working." Izzy said as he walked down a hall. "Thanks to Otto and the others trying to make their escape, they've created a diversion. All the castle guards are too busy dealing with the humans to notice me. Now I'll find my wand and the _real_ show can begin." He turned at a corner and saw someone at the end of the hall. This someone struck Izzy as VERY familiar. He gave a low growl at the person he saw.  
  
"YOU!" He yelled as he ran towards the king. Claudius quickly ran down another corridor and through a warp pipe. Izzy followed as the next song started. He jumped in the warp pipe and was sent to a room that had a bridge suspended over a dark chasm.  
  
#Eye of the storm is in my way! Like it or not, I'm here to stay!#  
  
Izzy started to run across the bridge, but a flying wind element witch conjured up gale force winds. He started using Rocket Accel, but he wasn't gaining much ground.  
  
#Thundering down like fire and ice!#  
  
At those words, Izzy got struck by fire and ice attacks, courtesy of two witches of those elements. Holding his butt, he jumped in the air. He crashed into the wall due to the high winds. He started to charge electricity after bouncing off the wall.  
  
#I'm a hurricane!#  
  
Izzy launched lightning bolts at the three witches, ending the storm. He jumped over the crackling bodies and ran into a hall. He saw Claudius on his left. The king went into a room.  
  
#I'm a hurricane!#  
  
Izzy ran into the room and saw the king create a giant dragon! Claudius then ran up a nearby staircase.  
  
#Nothin' can stop me, I conquer with force!#  
  
Izzy ran away from the dragon, who roared upon seeing the wizard.  
  
------------------------------------  
  
Otto and the others were going down a hall when they ran into a bunch of wizards, who turned tail and ran away.  
  
#Running on strong, gathering speed. I do what I want to get what I need.#  
  
The humans chased the wizards around a corner when they ran into much more than they can handle. One of the wizards started to charge energy while the others engaged the humans. That one wizard fired an immense blast of energy at the first few rows of humans, simply making them lose the powers they had. They ran up to Otto and got some power ups from the block. Some became giant, some turned metal, and others became invincible.  
  
#I'm a hurricane!#  
  
The powered up humans chased after the wizards and beat them senseless. They started going after some stranglers.  
  
#I'm a hurricane!#  
  
The wizards ran into a wall where they were pummeled on.  
  
------------------------------------  
  
#Nothin' can stop me, I conquer with force!#  
  
Izzy, who had gotten his shield and sword out, was dodging the dragon's fire breath. He tried to slash the dragon, but he couldn't get close! He started charging energy into the sword while dodging some more fireballs.  
  
#Running on strong, gathering speed. I do what I want to get what I need.#  
  
Izzy fired a Super Magical Violet Tornado at the dragon, destroying it. He ran into the stairwell and continued the chase.  
  
------------------------------------  
  
After everybody beat the last of the wizards, Mackenzie got a mushroom from Otto's block and became a giant. She punched the wall and it crumbled, revealing Ocean Shores.  
  
#I'm a hurricane!#  
  
She jumped through the hole and started swimming.  
  
------------------------------------  
  
#I'm a hurricane!#  
  
The song ended with Izzy climbing up the last of the stairs and up to a huge set of double doors. He caught his breath and pushed one of the doors open. He stepped inside.  
  
------------------------------------  
  
"oO I can't believe she did that..." Otto said, staring at the hole Mackenzie made. He shook his head. "Ok everybody, line up and grab a suit!" All the citizens formed a line by Otto. Everybody walked up, one at a time, and hit the power block. A frog statue popped out each time. In their frog forms, everybody hopped out of the hole and started swimming for shore.  
  
"Aren't you coming too, Rocket Boy?" Frog Raymundo asked after everybody else left. Otto shook his head.  
  
"I'm gonna help Izzy rescue Twister and the others." Ray raised an eyebrow at Otto prioritizing his best friend over his sister, but shook it off.  
  
"Alright. Be careful." He said before jumping into the water.  
  
"I can't believe he actually let me go that easily..." Otto said with disbelief in his voice. He then put on a face of determination and hit the block. He got a feather and became Cape Otto. "Alright. I'm coming to save you, my dearest Twister." He flew deep into the castle.  
  
------------------------------------  
  
Adrian was floating in the air, thinking about something, when Izzy entered the room. The blue caped wizard activated his Sight Shield.  
  
"Hmmm… I'm sure I saw him go in here." The wizard in the gray hat muttered as he walked into the darkened room.

There were several columns holding up the ceiling. There were several chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, but the candles inside them weren't burning. There wasn't a window anywhere, so the only light was coming from the open door. When he got halfway inside, the door slammed shut, bathing the young wizard in pure darkness.

"Crap… Now I can't see." He groaned. He then picked his head up. "Wait… There's a spell for this kinda situation, but what was it?" He started to remember one night, when he was seven. The power had gone out in his house during a storm and he was scared. Both of his parents chuckled at the boy's unnecessary fright as they held out their wands. They muttered one word and bright balls of light formed around them and him. He snapped his fingers.

"That's it!" He closed his eyes and held his hands together. He concentrated his energy. He knew that the spell was probably hard to perform without a wand, but if he was to survive, he had to try. He took a deep breath as his body glowed. A white outline surrounded him.

"Lumos!!!" He yelled into the darkness. Instantly, a dim ball of light formed in front of him. He grinned at his triumph. The spell wasn't hard to perform at all. Using his hands to guide the light ball, he made it float high up a few feet ahead of him, creating a spotlight of sorts.

He got into a defensive position as the spotlight shined a little brighter. He heard wheels approach as he flipped the switches on his air skates. He started charging energy in hopes of damaging the king once he moved into the light. Sweat started to fall down his face as the person got closer and closer. Izzy gasped and stopped charging energy when the person revealed him—or HER—self.  
  
"Reggie?"  
  
------------------------------------

A/N:

Me: Well, it looks like Izzy has found one of the remaining captives. But is it as easy as it seems? Find out next time!

Izzy: So how about that tape?

Me: Ahhh yes. Time to show the reason why Otto wears those sunglasses all the time.

Otto: ::Runs on stage:: Wait! Don't show that tape!  
  
Me: Now, now, Otto. Don't be so modest! The people have a right to know. GWAHAHAHAHA!!!! ::Puts the tape in the VCR. Static appears on the screen.::  
  
_::The tape shows Otto at age seven, without his sunglasses, walking with Ray in a doctor's office.::_  
  
Me: As you can see, young Otto is on a visit to the doctor's office, but as you'll soon see, this isn't an ordinary doctor, oh no. Otto is visiting the EYE doctor! ::Crowd gasps::  
  
_Young Otto: ::Bumps into a potted plant:: Sorry ma'am. ::Bumps into a chair:: Sorry about that, little doggie._  
  
Me: As you can clearly see, little Otto is as blind as a bat!  
  
_Ray (on screen): ::Signing papers at the reception desk:: Otto, watch out for that lady.  
  
Young Otto: What lady? ::Bumps into lady:: Oops! Sorry sir.  
  
Lady: I never!  
  
::The screen switches to Otto being seen by the doctor. He's in one of those things that tests out your vision::  
  
Doctor (Off screen): Now tell me, what do you see in the top row? ::The top row is made up of just a big A::  
  
Young Otto: Uhhh… X?  
  
Doctor: OO Uhh… How about the third row? ::Adjusts the machine to some pretty big lenses. The third row is made up of the letters KJR, which were a decent size.::  
  
Young Otto: Erm… GCN?  
  
Doctor: oO Damn! You need glasses, boy! Big ones!_  
  
Me: I wonder if anybody got that reference. Anyway, let's continue.  
  
_::The screen switches to outside the doctor's office::  
  
Ray: How do you feel?  
  
Young Otto (Off screen): Really goofy. I'm not going out wearing these. ::Hides in alleyway::  
  
Ray: Come on, Otto. It's not so bad. Let me take a look.  
  
Young Otto: ::Sighs:: Ok. ::He steps out. Ray cringes at the sight. Otto is wearing black framed glasses that resembled Sam's except the lenses were HUGE! I'm talking so thick, they made Otto's eyes the size of planets!::_  
  
Me: ::While random scenes of Otto wiping out are playing:: As you can see, Otto was once a blind kid with the biggest glasses in the world. The glasses, as you notice, prevented him from boarding. He would wipe out almost every time he tried to perform a trick! It's a surprise he never broke them!  
  
_::The screen changes to Otto at age eight. He's wearing normal-sized glasses.::  
  
Random kid #1: ::Walking by Otto:: Hey four eyes!  
  
Random kid #2: Nerd! ::A bunch of other kids yell out random insults::  
  
Young Otto: AHHHHHH!!!! ::Runs home::  
  
::The screen switches to Otto at the eye doctor's::  
  
Young Otto: ::To doctor:: Give me something that won't make me look like a nerd!  
  
Doctor: Alright, alright! ::Gets in a thinking pose:: How about you wear your current pair, only the lenses are tinted?  
  
Young Otto: I'll take it! ::Screen fades::_  
  
Me: And there you have it folks! The reason Otto always wears his sunglasses is because they're actually regular glasses. The lenses are just tinted to look like sunglasses. Sorry for making this skit so long. People really need to make fics that point out these little oddities in the show.   
  
Izzy: But there were two fics that pointed out this one.  
  
Me: Oops. Anyway, it also explains why you can see his eyes on the show.  
  
Izzy: Can it be that maybe, just maybe, he's a regular character, so they show his eyes to let the fans know he can see!?!  
  
Me: Nah.  
  
Izzy: ::Slaps forehead::  
  
Me: Oh, and thanks, Otto, for being such a good sport about this.  
  
Otto: ::Face getting red and smoke starts coming out of his ears:: You... ::Starts to advance on Izzy & I::  
  
Izzy & I: o.O  
  
Otto: DIE!!! ::Starts chasing after us::  
  
Izzy & I: CRAP!!! ::We run away::


	12. The Prophecy

Me: Hey Izzy.

Izzy: Yeah?

Me: I've been thinking. You have air skates, right?

Izzy: Yep. The same exact ones as Shadow the Hedgehog. You gave them to me because as a Rocket Power fan character, I'm supposed to be able to do at least one thing the stars can do.

Me: Right. And speaking of the show, it emphasizes safety, right?

Izzy: Yeah… So?

Me: _So_, my question to you is: Why on earth don't you wear a helmet when skating?

Izzy: ::Scoffs and waves a dismissive hand:: _Please_ Boss! If the great Shadow can skate without safety gear, _I_ certainly can! ::Checks watch:: Oh, we gotta get started. See ya later! ::Skates away::

Me: ::Whistles innocently and snaps my fingers::

::As Izzy got about twenty feet away from me, a tree with a low branch appears::

Izzy: OO Oh CRAP!!! ::Tries to stop::

::CRASH!!!::

Izzy: ::Falls on his back:: XX The stars…

Me: ::Turns to the camera:: And let that be a lesson, kids. ::Winks and gives a thumbs-up:: _Always_ wear your safety gear when skating.

-------------------------

Last time on The Runaway...

(To the tune of "It Doesn't Matter")

Otto: Hey! Otto Rocket here for some last chapter commentary. After a massive earthquake shook Ocean Shores, everybody but me & Izzy were taken to some castle that was in the ocean! After fighting about what we should do, we went to my house to do some last-minute preparations.

About a million references later, we found everybody in the castle's dungeon. Well, almost everybody. Twister, Reggie, and Sam were taken by that king somewhere. Izzy went to search for them while I helped everybody escape.

Two songs and a ton of special effects later, everybody got to safety. I stayed behind and went to look for Twister and the others. I hope you're safe, Twist, wherever you are.

-------------------------

The Runaway Ch 12: The Prophecy

"Reggie?" Izzy asked as he approached the girl. "Are you ok?" The candles in the chandeliers above flickered on as he looked her over. She seemed to be normal. She was wearing her skating gear and her blades.

"Whew. You were able to escape." He grasped her left arm. "Come on. We gotta find Twister & Sam and get you outta here." He pulled on her arm and started to walk, but they didn't move. Izzy stopped and turned to her.

"Reggie?" His eyes widened. Reggie's body was glowing with a dark aura. He gasped and let go of her. He stood back as her eyes glowed purple. She held up a hand and a huge gust of wind blew Izzy off his feet. He landed on the floor and struggled to his feet.

"Ugh… What's wrong with you, Reggie!? For that matter, how'd you get that power?!" He was answered with a whirlwind being launched at him. Izzy quickly dodged it and started skating. He got a little further when something rammed into him. He skidded on the floor.

"Ugh… What happened?" He stood up in time to dodge a lightning bolt. Izzy gasped as he saw the attacker.

"Sam?" The blond teenager was glowing the same way Reggie was. He shot another bolt at Izzy, who quickly rose up a Lightning Shield. The attack was blocked and the brunet prepared to retaliate. He would've attacked, but he saw a fire attack out of the corner of his eye and dodged it. He started skating again. He didn't need to see who did that last one.

"Man! Reggie, Sam, AND Twister?! What's going on?" He increased his speed as he skated around the room. The other three teens quickly caught up to him. Twister and Sam were in their blades as well. Twister was on Izzy's left, Sam was on his right, and Reggie was bringing up the rear. Izzy was surrounded on all sides! He was coming up to a wall. Thinking fast, he skated up to it, jumped, kicked off the wall, and took flight. He flew up until he was nearly at the ceiling, dodging attacks along the way.

"Whew. I'm safe." He sighed as he took in sharp breaths. "Now that you can't get to me, would someone PLEASE tell me why you're attacking me!?!" He put up a Power Shield as they started attacking again.

"You mean you haven't figured it out yet?" Claudius' voice rang throughout the room. Izzy scowled and looked around for the king. The king soon walked into the center of the room. The young wizard growled.

"What did you do to them?" He hissed. He noticed that the king looked a little weaker than when he saw him in the hall. Claudius gave a chilling laugh.

"It's quite simple, my boy." Izzy scowled harder at that one. "Using my dark magic, I'm controlling your human friends. Furthermore, I transferred a quarter of my power into each of them." Claudius gave another laugh and Izzy looked at him like he was a complete idiot.

"So let me get this straight. You transferred your OWN power into these humans?" He asked.

"Yep. A quarter of my full strength is in each of them." Claudius confirmed with a sly expression. Izzy blew on his nails.

"So what's to stop me from killing you at my FULL strength?" Claudius got a nervous expression.

"W-well…"

"Thought so. AHHHH!!!!" Izzy yelled as he charged head on at the king. He was about to punch the king hard when a column of fire came down between them. Both wizards jumped back from the attack.

'_Sorry Izzy._' Adrian, who was still in his Sight Shield, thought as he lowered his wand. '_I can't let you harm my master. At least not too badly._'

"Hey! What are you trying to do!?" Claudius yelled at Twister, who was in a conversation with Sam & Reggie.

"Wasn't me, Master." He replied in a demonic tone.

"Then who—" Claudius didn't have time to finish his question as Izzy delivered a devastating punch to his face. Claudius stumbled back and fired a bolt of dark energy at him. Izzy easily evaded the attack and came back with a Power Beam. Claudius dodged it.

"Shadow Rush!" He ran at an intense speed, surprising Izzy for a few seconds before he remembered what Adrian told him about the king's speed. The teen scoffed.

"_That's _his speed up spell? Sounds like some move a possessed monster would use. At least _my _spell has class and originality. Rocket Accel!" He took off as well, practically becoming invisible. He and Claudius went at it, generating small flashes of light whenever a punch was made. This went on for a few minutes before the two jumped away from each other panting.

"What the hell am I doing!?" Claudius said, slapping his head. "Minions, deal with this pest!" The three humans turned from their game of Twister (pun intended) and skated towards Izzy, who scoffed at the king.

"Duh! You really think I'm gonna go through that skating again?" He floated up. "Your so-called 'slaves' can't fly. Now fight already!" Izzy then felt a finger poking his shoulder.

"Quit it. I'm gloating." He felt another poke. "Cut it out!" He turned around and saw the poker, Sam.

"Sam! Fancy meeting you up here!" Izzy turned around only to turn around again real fast. "**SAM!?!**" He looked behind the blond teen to see the other two humans. He gulped.

"Heh heh…"

::BZZZZZZZTPT!::

"Ok… No more Mr. Nice Wizard." The now-charred Izzy growled.

Elsewhere…

"Aw man! Where can they be?!" Otto yelled. He was flying through a corridor. He started to think.

'_Why am I going through all this?_' His mind went back to about two months ago when he met Izzy. He almost crashed into the boy and skated on without even apologizing. His mind drifted to the race. Izzy humiliated Otto by toying with him. He then remembered how badly injured the wizard was and hearing his story. He sighed.

'_Man. It's been a weird couple of months._' He chuckled to himself. '_I found out I'm in love with my best friend and I'm helping this kid who I've only known for two months save the world. Life's funny sometimes._' He then went down another hall and saw a small wizard. This wizard struck Otto as somewhat familiar, but he couldn't put his finger on it… He went towards the young boy and prepared to attack.

"Wait!" The wizard yelled. Otto stopped. "I saw you help the humans escape earlier. Are you looking for Izzy?"

"Uhh yeah. Do you know where he is?" Otto asked. The boy nodded.

"Yes. He's fighting the king and some humans." Otto raised an eyebrow.

"What humans?"

"I don't know. They seemed to be kinda old. About your age, I think." The wizard replied. Otto got a thoughtful look.

'_Other humans. My age? What if…_' He gasped. "Quick! Take me to them!"

"Right. Follow me!" The wizard started to walk.

"Uhhh… Why don't I help you there?" Otto brought out the power block and hit it, making a feather pop out. The little boy grabbed it and got a yellow cape.

"What's this?" He asked, eyeing the cape.

"That cape will allow you to fly." Otto replied. The boy jumped up and floated.

"Wow! Cool! Ok. Let's go." They flew off.

-------------------------

"AHHHH!!!" Izzy yelled as he got tossed to the wall by Reggie. He fell and stopped himself before hitting the ground face first. He righted himself and dusted himself off. He panted while looking at his opponents, waiting for them to make a move.

'_How can I possibly beat them without badly hurting them?_' He thought. He shook his head and glared at them. '_I can't. I'm sorry, Otto, but I have to do this. If I don't, I'll probably get killed._' He flew up until he was level with his friends.

'_Hopefully, I can knock some sense into them._' He charged towards Sam, who started charging electricity. Izzy quickly dove down to avoid the attack. Reggie and Twister used their respective attacks as well. Izzy just went around them and flew up. He got in front of Reggie.

"Gust attack!"

-------------------------

Otto and the wizard boy stood outside the huge double doors. Sounds of fighting can clearly be heard.

"This is it." The boy said. "I cannot go any further for I may get charged with treason." He started backing up. "Good luck."

"Thanks." Otto said, but the boy was gone. Scratching his head in confusion, he turned back to the door and opened it. He stepped inside. He gasped as he saw what the wizard boy meant. Izzy was floating in the air, evading the attacks of his friends and sister.

"This is crazy!" The wizard yelled as he avoided a lightning bolt and a stream of fire.

'_What if I tried making them attack each other?_' He thought. He then flew in between Sam & Reggie. He started moving towards Reggie, who conjured up a tornado and tossed it at him. He got out of the way and Sam got struck. After the spin cycle, Sam fell to the floor and collapsed. Izzy gave a smirk.

"Heh. One down, two to go." He moved out of another tornado's path and got behind Reggie. "Gust attack!" He tossed a whirlwind, knocking Reggie down as well. Otto gasped.

"What the hell!?" He yelled. Everybody else in the air turned towards him.

"Uhhh hi, Otto." Izzy said nervously. Otto crossed his arms. "Aw come on! These guys woulda killed me if I didn't defend myself!"

"What happened to them?" Otto asked.

"Well, you see—" Izzy started before he was struck by Twister. He crashed in front of Otto. He growled and stood up. "Why you—!" He put down Otto's backpack and charged for Twister. The possessed boy held his hands in Izzy's direction and a stream of fire launched out.

"Fire Shield!" Izzy called as he took the attack head on. He got through Twister's attack and landed a punch, knocking him back. Twister quickly came back at Izzy with a punch of his own and flew away. Izzy chased after him. Twister was about to turn around and use an attack when the wizard grabbed his foot, swung him around, and tossed him towards the ground.

"And to make sure you stay down…" Izzy started charging energy into his finger. "Power Beam!" He fired the orange energy and hit Twister, speeding up his descent. The orange haired boy hit the ground a few feet away from Otto with a sickening thud.

"Twister!" Otto ran over to his crush as Izzy floated down and panted. He had used up a large amount of his energy.

"Don't you ever make me do that again." He growled at Claudius.

"Please! I wouldn't even try it." Claudius scoffed. "I think you've had enough fun anyway." His body glowed with the same dark aura as Izzy's friends. The darkness left Sam and went towards Claudius. The king embraced the aura as his own grew.

"Ahh… Much better." Izzy's eyes widened as he realized what was happening.

'_He's getting back his strength._' He numbly stumbled towards Otto, who had the backpack full of potions.

"Twister. Are you alright bro?" Otto asked. He had Twister in his arms. The boy was unconscious. "Don't worry bro. I'll give you a healing potion." He dug into the backpack and pulled out the thermos by accident. "The love potion? What's this doing here?" Otto looked at Twister and then at the potion.

"Maybe it'll wake you up." He put a finger up to Twister's lips and gently opened them. He opened the thermos and held it to the other boy's lips. Otto poured the remainder of the potion and held Twister's head up. The boy swallowed the potion and his body glowed brightly.

"Uh… Wha?" Twister groaned. His eyes fluttered open as the light faded. His body still had the dark aura of Claudius' power, but his eyes weren't glowing purple anymore. They were their normal color. He looked at Otto. "Ottoman… What's going on?" Otto had tears in his eyes and he embraced the other boy tightly.

"I thought I had lost you forever." He sobbed.

"Uhhh Otto? Could ya let me go!?" Twister croaked. Otto quickly pulled away blushing.

"Sorry about that." They both stared at each other.

"MWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!" That laugh quickly brought the two boys back to reality. They looked up and noticed Claudius get back his power from Reggie. "I'm at seventy-five percent strength now, Izzy! You're no match for me!" Claudius laughed again as Otto & Twister looked towards Izzy. The wizard was dangerously close to collapsing as he made it to them.

"Are you ok?" They asked as their friend kneeled beside them.

"Yeah. I'm having the time of my life. Of course I'm not alright!" Izzy replied with sarcasm. "I just need a healing potion." He reached in the bag without looking and pulled out the bottle of Kerokero Cola he and Otto won earlier.

"Now what was it that Kerokero Cola did again?" He snapped his fingers as he remembered the item's healing properties.

(A/N: In Super Mario RPG, Kerokero Cola fully recovers your party's HP and FP [which is needed for your magic attacks].)

"Oh yeah!" Izzy shakily held the bottle to his lips and drank. He then handed the frog-shaped bottle to Twister.

"Drink up. Sorry about knocking you down like that." He apologized as Twister sipped the soda. The cameraman then handed it to Otto, who was still panting from the battles he fought. Otto was blushing furiously as he took the bottle and drank. Almost instantly, he, Twister, and Izzy glowed with a bright green aura. The light soon dissipated. All three of them were fully healed. They all stood up, Otto holding Twister's hand unconsciously. Izzy started charging energy.

"Power Beam!" He fired at Claudius, who got knocked down and fell. After waiting a few minutes to see if the king would retaliate, the three boys made their way to Reggie & Sam. They were knocked out as well. Otto quickly administered two healing potions and they stirred awake.

"What happened to us?" Reggie asked after she and Sam got to their feet.

"You were under the king's control, but now you're free. Otto'll take you guys out of here." Izzy replied. None of them noticed Twister's aura leave his body.

"What about you?" Otto asked.

"I've got some unfinished business to take care of." Izzy turned his back on them and started walking further into the room. "Go now."

"You don't have to tell _me_ twice!" Sam yelled as he ran for the door. He was almost there when it slammed in his face. He grasped the handle and tried to pull it open, but it wouldn't budge.

"The door's locked!" The others gasped as a low laughing was heard. Out of the rubble floated Claudius. His clothes and cape were slightly ripped.

"None of you will leave this room alive." He said in a cold voice. Izzy surrounded Otto & the others in a Power Shield and floated up to glare at Claudius.

"Leave them out of this. They did nothing to you." He said.

"They're humans. They've done enough to our kind." Claudius sneered.

"That had to have been a few centuries ago! Get with the times, man!" Izzy yelled.

"What are they talking about?" Twister asked.

"They must be referring to the Salem witch trials and the superstitions people made up about witches." Sam replied.

"And another thing," Reggie said as she turned towards Otto & Twister. "Why are you two holding hands?"

"Huh?" The two boys asked. The held up their arms and noticed that their hands were indeed linked. They quickly let go. "Uhh… No reason." They both blushed. Reggie giggled and turned back to the argument in the air.

"I will destroy all humans and that is that. All that is left to do is get rid of you." Claudius said.

"Hmph!" Izzy crossed his arms. "You're very old fashioned, you know that? Why, if _I_ was king, I would want all wizards to live peacefully with the humans instead of wanting destruction like you!"

"Funny you should mention that." Claudius suddenly said. Izzy narrowed his eyes.

"What do you mean?"

"Have you ever wondered why I have been chasing you these past six years? Why I had your parents executed? Why I had your wand taken away?" The king asked. Izzy glared and growled at him.

"I've been asking myself all that since that day." Claudius laughed at his response.

"It's simple. I believe you have heard the prophecy when you were a little kid."

"What prophecy?" Izzy asked with confusion.

"Foolish boy. I'm talking about Merlin's prophecy!"

"Merlin? The strongest wizard ever born? That Merlin?"

"¬¬ Yeah… THAT Merlin." Claudius answered. "Anyway, the prophecy states that the hundredth descendent of Merlin will overthrow the current king and rule over all wizards and witches as the most powerful wizard."

"And this has to do with me how?" Izzy asked.

"The wizard would get a golden wand when he touches his first stick."

"Pfft!" Izzy scoffed.

"The wizard would also be able to run at fast speeds." Claudius challenged. Izzy looked at him.

"You can run fast too."

"But my wand's not gold, is it?" Claudius replied. "Also, the strongest wizard is unable to have kids." Izzy slapped his head at that one.

"Well, I guess I'm out." He put on a defeated expression. He then shook it off. "Hold it! Merlin was English. I'm Puerto Rican. We're not related! Now what, huh!?"

"Idiot." Claudius started. "Everybody in Merlin's bloodline slept around a lot. It shouldn't be a surprise if somebody somewhere in the bloodline slept with a Hispanic person."

"Ok. If all this is true, why'd ya kill my parents?!"

"They committed treason by giving birth to the one who would overthrow me." Claudius answered simply.

"Like they knew they would give birth to the strongest wizard." Izzy said, glaring daggers.

"I had wanted to take you under my wing and train you so that you can help me destroy all humans." Claudius started. "But _noooo_! You had to escape and lead me on this chase across the country for six years!"

"Gee, I wonder why!" Izzy shot back. "Could it be that I didn't want to get killed, ya dumb jerk!?"

"What did you call me?!" Claudius boomed. Izzy gave a smirk.

"You're right. I shouldn't have called you that." He glanced down at Otto and the others. He looked back at the king. "You're a **SHOOBIE**!"

"Yeah! You tell him!" Reggie yelled. Everybody else started to cheer as well. The king was getting more and more mad.

"Shut UP!!!" He shot a beam of dark energy at Izzy, who dodged and punched him. He didn't seem to be affected. Izzy tossed lightning at him. Claudius got struck, but he didn't even flinch.

"Uh-oh…" Izzy said. He got hit by a wave of dark energy and started to lose altitude. He quickly righted himself and floated back up.

'_I don't know where he got this whole "I'm the strongest wizard" thing from, but I'm gonna beat him and get revenge for my parents!_' He thought as he charged towards Claudius. The battle of Izzy's life has begun.

-------------------------

A/N:

Who will win this battle of strength? Will the world be saved or will it be destroyed? Will Otto and the others have any impact on the battle? Find out next time! While we're waiting, I guess I'll answer a review or two.

To mike2000: Thanks a lot for your input on the sky's color. It sounds like a sensible theory and it helped me understand that aspect of the show a little more. I honestly wasn't expecting any response to that, but thanks all the same. And about your question on Izzy's curse, the way it works is that he can't leave the continental U.S., so Hawaii is out of bounds for him. The same goes for Alaska since he has to go through Canada to get there.

I guess that's it, so see ya Monday!


	13. The Final Battle

Well, here we are at the second to last chapter of the fic. I don't exactly have a joke planned, so uhh… Enjoy the chapter! By the way, does anybody know how to prevent a rewriteable CD from becoming a read-only one? You see, I use a CD to save my fics. But sometimes, all the files stored on the disc automatically become read-only and I can't edit them or save any new stuff to the CD. This is the second time it's happened to me and now I have to reformat the CD and save backups of my files AGAIN! 

So any help on this would be appreciated. All I really need is advice on how to prevent this from happening or on how to change a read-only CD back to a useable one (without having to reformat it). Just e-mail me if you can offer any assistance. And now, on with the chapter!

--------------------------------

Last time on The Runaway…

(To the tune of "Escape from the City")

Izzy: Hey! It's your favorite wizard here to tell ya what happened last time! I had followed that idiotic king into a huge, dark room of the castle. After using a spell to light up the room, I found Reggie, but something was different about her… Before I knew what was happening, she attacked me with a blast of wind! How could she do that!? She's not a witch!

I skated away from her, trying to figure out what happened. Suddenly, I got rammed into by someone. When I looked up, I found Sam, who tossed a bolt of lightning at me! I defended against the attack and made to fight back when I saw a stream of fire coming at me, courtesy of Twister. I dodged it and skated away again. How could this've happened!? They don't know magic, do they?!

After some dodging, I found out that the king brainwashed them and gave them some of his powers. I can't believe that fool would pull something like this! After I fought him a little, he sicced them on me. I would've fought back, but I might injure them badly. So instead, I just dodged their attacks and tried to think of something.

Soon, I just decided to give up and fight them. I was able to knock Sam down by making Reggie attack him. I then knocked Reggie out with a well-placed wind attack. That was when Otto showed up, looking pissed at my actions. I tried to explain myself when Twister punched me out of nowhere, sending me to the ground. I got right back up and knocked _him_ out.

After everyone was healed, thanks to some potions, I flew up to the king to fight him. It was then that he told me the reason why he's been chasing me this whole time and why my parents were killed. I'm supposed to be part of this ancient prophecy that says I'm the strongest wizard and that I'll rule over the wizarding world. I still don't believe that! But no matter what, I _will_ destroy him for what he's done to me!

--------------------------------

The Runaway Ch. 13: The Final Battle

"AHHHHHH!!!!" Izzy roared as he flew towards the king. His body glowed with a white aura as he pulled back a fist. Claudius prepared himself as he glowed with a dark aura.

"Rocket Accel!" The younger wizard called as he became a blur.

"Shadow Rush!" Claudius yelled as he too became a blur and charged towards Izzy.

Otto and the others couldn't make out who was who as the two blurs rammed into each other repeatedly, generating a small flash whenever they made contact. After a few minutes of this power struggle, both wizards crashed into each other, ending their speed spells. They were both revealed being surrounded by their respective auras, which were shaped like spheres. Izzy gritted his teeth as he glared at the king, who gave him a smug look. They both forced each other towards the floor.

When they landed, their auras disappeared and they continued the battle by running/skating along each other. Izzy noticed that Claudius was running the same way he normally does. Both of them glared at each other as they sped along the room, ramming into each other every so often. They even tossed lightning at each other. Every bolt missed their mark as the two wizards were nearing Otto and co.

They split up and went in different directions. Izzy went around the left side of the barrier and the king ran along the right side. The four humans gave a look of shock at the fury and rage in the younger wizard's eyes as he skated past them. The one in the gray hat started charging energy as was the one in the crown. They soon reached the end of the shield and faced each other.

"POWER BEAM!!!" Izzy roared as he held both hands out and fired his signature spell. Claudius scoffed as he fired a beam of black energy from his wand. Both attacks collided, causing an explosion. Everybody looked up as both fighters flew out of the smoke. Claudius flew higher than Izzy and charged with a fist raised. The younger one also held up a fist.

"Shadow Punch!" The king yelled as his fist glowed black.

"Mach Punch!" Izzy called as his own fist glowed brightly. Both fists crashed into each other with great ferocity. Lightning crackled around the two as they tried to push the other back. The lightning was starting to get to Izzy. He was the first to pull back as the electricity faded. Before Claudius can attack, he raised his left hand.

"Gust attack!" He slashed at the air in an attempt to distance himself from the king. Unfortunately, the attack had no effect on the man, who grabbed the boy's arm. He spun Izzy around and tossed him towards a wall.

"Wooooooooaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh!!!"

"This'll end you." Claudius said as he held his wand forward. A ball of dark energy appeared at the tip. The group's eyes widened as they saw the attack forming.

"Watch out Izzy!!!" Sam yelled. Izzy opened his eyes and saw the king.

"Shadow Ball!" The king tossed an immense ball at Izzy, who righted himself. His hands started glowing.

"Thunderbolt!" He fired numerous lightning bolts at the ball. The attacks collided and pushed against each other. After a few seconds, the lightning faded, but the ball was still there! It flew towards Izzy, who planted his feet against the wall and started skating. The king's attack crashed into the wall, creating a small explosion.

'_Whew! It's a good thing I was able to stall that attack!_' The boy thought as he continued skating along the wall.

"You won't get away that easily!" Claudius roared as he fired many Shadow Balls. Izzy skated around each attack. The missed attacks blew tons of holes in the wall. After about a minute or so of dodging, he jumped off the wall and charged head on for the king with a fist raised. He would've landed a punch, but Claudius grabbed Izzy's fist and tossed him towards the wall. The boy crashed into it, creating a deep dent.

"Ugh!" He groaned as he picked himself off the wall. Claudius charged at him. Izzy flew up just as the man crashed into the wall. The king launched a bolt of dark energy at the boy, who narrowly dodged it.

'_Man! He's a lot tougher than I thought._' Izzy thought. He fired a lightning bolt to deflect another dark energy bolt. Claudius rammed into him, tossing him back another few feet. '_I need to call my sword! It'll give me some kind of chance._' He looked down at the spectators.

'_I need to use a shield to defend myself though and I can only use one shield at a time._' He dodged another attack by flying to the left. '_It's my only choice._' He stopped and held a hand towards his already-active Power Shield. '_I'll only need it for a few seconds._'

"What's he doing?" Otto asked confusedly.

"Beats me." Reggie answered.

"Shield Transfer!" Izzy yelled. The Power Shield protecting Otto and the rest disappeared and surrounded him. He then held up his left hand. "Oh mana, come to me!" Claudius charged for him as the blue disc came down. Izzy saw an insane, murderous look in his eyes as he pulled the sword from the shield. He started charging energy as Claudius started to pound on the barrier, cracking it slightly.

'_Almost there…_' Izzy thought. The sword was then fully charged.

"Yes! Shield Transfer!"

Before the shield broke down, it disappeared again and surrounded the humans. Izzy released the energy in a Hurricane Spin, surprising Claudius. He pulled up a black barrier to defend against the assault. The shield vanished as the sword struck it repeatedly. Before the attack ended, the kid managed to slash the king's chest. Claudius doubled back and held his chest as Izzy tried to get over the effects of his attack.

A few yards from the battling duo, Adrian seemed happy at the current state of affairs. He still had his Sight Shield activated, so no one noticed him.

'_Hmm… Izzy seems to be lasting, but the master hasn't even used his full power yet._' He thought. He gave a glance towards a nearby balcony, which led to a hall. He then looked at the humans and the duel in the air.

'_Maybe I can even the odds._' He moved to the balcony and flew down the hall. He deactivated his shield. '_I'm probably breaking every law, but I don't care. My love is in danger and I'd gladly betray my king for him. Besides, I never really cared for that blow hard. Just survive long enough, Izzy._'

--------------------------------

"He seems to be doing pretty good." Sam said as Izzy fired a Power Beam at Claudius. The king didn't feel the attack.

"_What_? He's kicking that guy's ass!" Otto cheered.

Izzy got knocked into a wall.

"OO Or not…" Otto said to himself.

"Didn't that king dude say Izzy is the most powerful wizard?" Twister asked.

"Yeah. It has to do with that prophecy." Reggie said as Izzy got sent to the ground by a bolt of dark energy. He quickly flew back up.

"I wonder what does the whole thing say." Sam said, putting on a thoughtful expression.

--------------------------------

'_"The hundredth descendent of Merlin will be the strongest wizard."_' Adrian thought, trying to remember the prophecy as he flew.

'_"The wizard will come to possess a golden wand and the ability to run as fast as the wind. He will also not be able to bear children. This wizard will challenge the reigning king and a million golden lights will fill every section of the dark castle. He will defeat the dark king and peace will exist between all humans & wizards." That's what my mom always told me before I went to sleep every night as a little kid._' Adrian turned at a corner.

'_It seems to fit Izzy perfectly. He had a gold wand before the master ordered it to be taken away. He can run as fast as the king—scratch that. He can run FASTER than the master. He can't have kids because he's gay. It all fits perfectly. I never thought that Izzy would be the strongest wizard of all time. Sure it struck me as weird that he had a gold wand, but the thought that he would be part of an ancient prophecy never crossed my mind._'

'_But that last part. "A million golden lights will fill every section of the dark castle." Why did it say that unless…_' Adrian gasped. '_That's it! That's what his element is! I gotta hurry!_' He increased his speed as he flew deeper into the hall.

--------------------------------

"It's too bad we can't help him." Sam said. Izzy started slashing at the king. He didn't seem to be making much progress.

"Maybe we can." Otto said as he pulled out the power block.

"What's that thing, Rocket Boy?" Reggie asked.

"This is what we used to bust everybody else out of here. Maybe we can use it to help Izzy." Otto said.

"I guess that would explain the cape you're wearing then." Twister said as he inspected Otto's cape.

"Oh yeah. I forgot I had this on." Otto said with a blush.

"It's not like we can help anyway." Sam said as he held a hand up to the shield. "It's solid. We'd have to ask Izzy to let us out."

"And I doubt he's in the mood to let us go." Twister said as everybody looked up.

--------------------------------

"Impressive. You can make weapons." Claudius said as he evaded Izzy's slashes. "I can make weapons too." He kicked Izzy back as he pointed his wand above him. A black portal opened up. A black bo-staff that was as crooked as his wand came out of it. Izzy took the opportunity to charge energy.

"Super Magical Violet Tornado!" He pointed his sword forward and fired a tornado at Claudius, who just spun his staff. He negated Izzy's attack. The man charged at the teen, who held up his red shield. Izzy was barely able to hold off Claudius' assault. The king soon knocked the shield out of his hands. It fell to the floor with a clang. Izzy started to panic.

"Rocket Accel!" He turned into a blur and sped around the arena. He got a few yards away when Claudius blocked his way. Izzy quickly turned around and flew away again, but Claudius got in his way again. Izzy wildly slashed the sword in his state of panic. Claudius easily defended against his strikes before floating backwards. A black fireball was forming at the tip of his staff.

"Dark Flame!" Claudius yelled as he launched a stream of black fire at Izzy, who stopped slashing air long enough to notice.

"Oh crap! Um uh… Light Blade!" The sword's tip lit up as Izzy slashed at the flames, splitting Claudius' attack in two. He charged at Claudius, swung the sword, and cut the king's bo-staff in two. The pieces disappeared in two puffs of black smoke. Claudius brought out his wand and fired dark lightning at Izzy.

"ARGH!!!!" He yelled as he got struck by the paralyzing attack. The lightning crackled around his body, preventing him from moving. Claudius backed up and started to charge energy.

"Darkness…" The king started. Izzy broke free and gasped when he noticed Claudius' dark aura growing to an unimaginable size. He started flying away, but Claudius didn't let him out of his sights. "FLASH!!!" A gigantic wave of dark energy struck Izzy, who screamed in pain as the darkness enveloped him. When the attack ended, he plummeted to the ground.

He started skidding on the ground, hitting his head, then his back, and his head again before hitting the Power Shield. He doubled over and stood up, electricity crackling around his body. He looked up at his opponent, but the sight was getting blurry. With a last breath, he lost consciousness and fell backwards. The Power Shield disappeared as he hit the ground. Otto, Sam, Twister, and Reggie skated up to him. Izzy was still breathing, but they were small breaths.

"I did it?" Claudius asked as he saw the scene below him. "I did it!" He raised his fist in victory. "I beat the strongest wizard! I'm truly the king of all!" While the king gave an evil laugh, the humans planned.

"Izzy's down for the count, so we have to step in." Otto said.

"And what can _we_ do?" Reggie asked. She was holding Izzy up.

"Yeah! That guy's strong!" Twister added in.

"Any ideas, Sammy?" Otto asked as everybody turned to the brainiac, who seemed to be stumped.

"Come on. Think, think, think…" Sam said. The camera went inside his ears, where a shot of his brain going through a brainstorm was seen. The camera went further inside, showing pictures of some rather unrelated stuff like an ice cream cone and a tennis racket before an image of Izzy in the hospital was displayed.

_"A wizard's wand is important because it is the source of his power. Only the most powerful spells can be done with it. If you don't have it, you can only do parlor tricks and defensive spells."_ The memory said.

"Brain blast!" Sam exclaimed while holding up a finger. Everybody gave him a weirded out look. Sam turned to the camera. "This Jimmy Neutron moment was brought to you by our author, Prince Izzy, who's a complete nutcase."

(Me: Damn straight!)

"-- Anyway…" Sam turned back to the others. "If we can get his wand away from him, he'll lose his powers."

"Ok. And how do we get up there?" Twister asked.

"With this." Otto said as he brought the power block to everybody's attention again. He hit it a few times. The block spit out a few items. A hat shaped like an airplane, a cap that kept disappearing and reappearing, a hammer, a raccoon statue, a feather, and a hat made to look like a dragon's head appeared. Otto looked at the items and at his friends.

"Ok. Twist, you get the feather and the dragon hat."

"Got it!" Twister replied as he grabbed the two items. In a puff of smoke, he became Cape-Dragon Twister. He was wearing the dragon hat over his normal hat and the same yellow cape that Otto was wearing.

"Squid, you take the hammer and that jet hat." Otto said.

"Ok." Sam grabbed the two items Otto mentioned. He was now Hammer-Jet Squid. The jet hat replaced his shark helmet and he was wearing a black shell like Otto was earlier.

"What about me?" Reggie asked, eyeing the last two items.

"You take the statue and protect Izzy just in case that king tries to attack him." Otto replied. Reggie huffed in frustration and grabbed the raccoon statue. She became Tanooki Reggie. "And see if you can wake him up." Otto pointed at the unconscious boy.

"If I'm not mistaken, that last hat allows you to become invisible." Sam said as he picked up the hat. Otto grabbed it.

"Right. I'm gonna see if I can get close enough to that wand while you and Twist distract him." He took off his helmet and got ready to put on the vanish cap.

"Hold it. What if we get hit? If I understand this reference, one hit and we're toast." Sam interrupted.

"Oh yeah…" Otto said thoughtfully. He looked at the block.

"I wonder… Give me a star." He pounded the block and a star popped out. Twister caught it and his clothes started flashing. "Give me a mushroom." Otto hit the block again and a mushroom came out. He grabbed it, but there was no effect due to the power up he already had. He handed the block to Sam.

"I guess you can tell it what you want before hitting it if anything happens."

"Alright. Give me a star." Sam said before hitting the block. A star popped out and he became invincible. "Come on, Twister!" He jumped and the jet hat activated, directing him towards the king.

"You better get going, bro. That star's effect doesn't last for long." Otto said as he put on the vanish cap. He disappeared from Twister's view.

"Right. Good luck, dude." Twister replied before jumping up and joining Sam. They charged towards the king.

"MWAHAHAHAHAHA—Huh!?" Claudius yelled as he noticed the advancing humans. "How the—!" He was interrupted as Sammy crashed right into him. Claudius got burned as a result of the blond boy's fleeting invincibility. Sam followed up his tackle with a few hammers. Claudius pulled up a black barrier and defended against the attack. Twister rammed into the barrier and shattered it. His own invincibility ended as well.

"Ugh! Dark Flame!" Claudius pointed his wand at Twister and fired. Twister activated his Dragon Hat's ability and fought back Claudius' flames with his own. The attacks collided and the two struggled for dominance. Claudius started to win the battle of strength when Sam threw some hammers at him, ruining his concentration. Twister's fire attack outdid Claudius' and the king got struck. Claudius got tossed back. He righted himself and fired a dark bolt of lightning at Sam.

"Star!" He said as he pounded the block. He grabbed the star that popped out and defended against the lightning. Sam charged for the king again.

"Shadow Rush!" Claudius sped around the arena, avoiding Sam's hammers. He was stopped by Twister making a column of fire appear in front of him. Claudius charged at him.

"Twister! Catch!" Sam yelled as he tossed a star at his friend. Twister grabbed it just as Claudius rammed into him.

"Ow! Ow! Ow!" Claudius yelled as he doubled back from Twister. The cameraman spewed fire from the dragon hat again.

--------------------------------

"Come on, Izzy. Wake up." Reggie said while lightly slapping Izzy's face.

::SLAP!::

(Me: I said LIGHTLY!)

"Oops. Sorry." Reggie started slapping his face on the opposite side of a forming bruise. Izzy started to stir.

"Uhh wha? I'm still alive?" He asked as he looked at Reggie. He put a hand to his face & winced in pain. "What happened to my face?"

"Uhh… The king whomped you really hard?" Reggie lied.

"Oh yeah…" Izzy said. He looked around. "Uhh… Where are Otto and the others?"

"Well you see…"

"-- Let me guess." Izzy looked up at the fight going on. He turned back to Reggie. " I'd be screaming right now if it wasn't for the damage I just took."

"Why? We're only trying to help ya. We're in danger too." Reggie defended.

"I'm aware of that, but it's not worth you guys getting killed over. After all, you're the stars of the show." Izzy looked up again. "Hey, I only see two of them. Where's Otto at?"

"He turned invisible, I think."

"Oh. He must be using a vanish cap then. But why?" Izzy tried to lift an arm, but it wouldn't budge. "Ummm… Could ya get me a healing potion out of the bag?"

--------------------------------

'_They gotta make him stand still for a few seconds._' Otto thought as he flew around the battle. Sam rammed into Claudius and Twister fired a stream of fire at him.

"Ack! These humans are real bothersome." Claudius said as he backed up. "Darkness…" He started to get that huge aura again. Remembering what happened to Izzy, Twister and Sam flew away from the king.

'_Now's my chance!_' Otto thought as he moved in.

"FLA—" Claudius started, but Otto used a spin attack and knocked his wand out of his grasp. The wand fell and hit the ground with a clang. Claudius looked down.

"OO AHHHHHH!!!!!"

::CRASH!!!::

"And he beefs it!" Otto yelled as his invisibility wore off. The vanish cap disappeared. Claudius picked himself up from the floor and growled at the interloper.

"When I get my wand back, you're first to die!" Claudius looked around and saw his wand lying a few feet away. Because of the huge fall, he had to crawl to his weapon. He was almost there when…

::BWEEM!::

His wand was incased in ice! Frightened, Claudius turned and confirmed his fears. Izzy, fully healed and looking severely pissed, put down his pointing finger. He started walking slowly towards the king.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here?" Izzy started, chuckling evilly. "The mighty King Claudius. Lost his wand to a bunch of humans." He cast an upwards glance at the floating trio. He then shot lightning at the king, shocking him badly. The king screamed in pain as he started to back up nervously.

"N-now Izzy. I'm sure we can talk about this." Claudius said. Izzy put on a thinking pose.

"Where have I seen this scenario before? Oh yes. For six years, I had to learn to use my powers without my wand!" He shot a Power Beam at Claudius. He laughed again at the king's pain. "You must've had your wand your whole life, huh?" He slashed the king's left arm with an air blade. "Turnabout's a bitch, huh!?"

(A/N: I'm pretty sure I can have him say that in a PG fic. After all, I've seen a few PG movies where they used that curse.)

--------------------------------

"Hey Twister, what happened to your dragon hat?" Sam asked. Twister put a hand up to his head and felt only his normal hat.

"I must've dropped it when I moved away from that guy." He replied. All three of them looked down.

"Aw crap." Otto said.

--------------------------------

"And now to finish this." Izzy said as he held his hand out towards his sword, which was knocked out of his grasp earlier. The sword floated from its place on the floor and came to him.

"Rocket Accel!" He charged head on for the king. He didn't even get halfway to the king when he accidentally stepped on the dragon hat Twister had on earlier. The hat spewed flames from its nose and hit the wand, melting the ice surrounding it. Izzy slipped on the hat and fell.

"Ouch…"

"MWAHAHAHAHA!!!" Claudius bellowed as he grabbed the wand. A dark aura surrounded him as he floated up. "And now…" He aimed his wand at Otto. "Dark Flame!" The black flames shot out and struck Otto before anybody can do anything. The boy lost his cape and started falling head first.

"Twis…ter…" He groaned as he lost consciousness.

"I got you, Ottoman!" Twister yelled as he dived down. He inched closer and closer to his comrade.

Just inches from the floor, Twister managed to scoop Otto in his arms. Unfortunately, they were too low for him to fly up. He turned and skidded on his back. They stopped a few feet away from Reggie. She and Sam went to them to see if they were ok. They were both knocked out. Twister's cape disappeared in a puff of smoke. Izzy got up and jumped back.

"Are they ok?" He asked.

"They're unconscious." Sam replied. "They should be ok after a healing potion."

"Bad news." Reggie said as she inspected Otto's backpack. "We're out of potions."

"Just great." Izzy said as he looked up at Claudius. The king started to charge energy. "I guess this is it." He said to himself as he lowered his head.

"Izzy, you are not the strongest wizard after all!" Claudius gloated as he charged energy. "Darkness…"

"Izzy!" Someone yelled. The good guys turned and looked at the source of the voice.

"Adrian?" Izzy asked as he saw the form of his best friend floating in the air by the balcony. He had something glittering in his hand.

"Catch!" He yelled as he tossed the object.

"FLASH!!!" Claudius yelled, launching his attack. The object Adrian tossed spun in the air for a few moments before Izzy grabbed it with his left hand. His eyes widened as he inspected the gold stick his friend tossed.

"Th-this is…" He started. The blue jewel at the end glowed brightly and a purple barrier surrounded him, Reggie, Sam, Otto, and Twister. Claudius' attack hit the barrier, but didn't even scratch it.

"This is…" Izzy got a grin as big as a kid who got every toy in the store for Christmas.

"**MY WAND!!!**" He started dancing. "I got my wand back!" He laughed as he danced around happily. "I got my wand back, oh yeah!" He turned and gave Reggie & Sam a peace sign. He laughed some more before he got a stern look on him. He turned his attention back to Claudius.

"What have you done, Adrian?!" Claudius asked as he turned to the other wizard.

"Just following the prophecy." Adrian replied with a laugh. "And another thing, I QUIT!"

"You traitorous little insect!" Claudius started to charge energy to destroy Adrian when a bright orange light shone out of the corner of his eyes. He turned and looked at Izzy, whose body was glowing with that same light.

"Power…Beam…" He started. Orange energy appeared at the tip of his wand. "BLAST!" The biggest wave of magical energy he ever fired launched out of the wand towards the king. Adrian flew down to the floor to avoid the attack as Claudius flew away. The beam was about to hit a wall.

"Beam split!" Izzy ordered. The beam scattered and became twenty balls of energy before they hit the wall. "Go after that king!" The balls sped off towards Claudius, who started weaving out of their paths. He destroyed a few with some well-placed energy bolts.

"Combine again!" The remaining balls became one beam and struck Claudius. While the king was reeling from that attack, Adrian walked up to Izzy's barrier. Izzy opened it and the wizard in the blue cape walked in. The wizard in the gray hat grabbed him and hugged him tightly.

"Adrian! You got me my wand! Where did you find it!?" He asked with glee.

"It was in the king's private chambers." Adrian replied as if it was no big deal.

"Oh thank you so much! I don't know what to say! I could just…just—!" Izzy said before he got Adrian in a passionate kiss. The two tongue wrestled for a few minutes before they parted for air. Adrian staggered around, his face as red as a tomato.

"You're welcome…" He said before he fainted. Izzy shrugged.

"And now, back to the task at hand." He flew out of the barrier and up to Claudius, who recovered from the attack.

"Grr… So you got your wand back." The king sneered. "I can still beat you. Darkness Flash!" Claudius fired the huge attack again. Izzy held his wand in front of him and closed his eyes.

"I hope this works." He said to himself. "Ultra Shield!" A purple barrier identical to the one protecting his friends surrounded him. It blocked Claudius' attack, but it had massive cracks in it. "What happened? The shield that activated when I got my wand completely blocked his attack. Why is _this_ shield cracked?"

"You can use more than one shield at a time now," Adrian, who got back to his feet, started. "But the shields would be weaker than if you used just one."

"Aw man." Izzy said, slapping his head.

"Heh heh. One more flash will destroy that shield and you." Claudius said as he backed up. He prepared the biggest attack he can muster. "Darkness…"

"Izzy! You gotta do something!" Reggie, Sam, and Adrian yelled as Claudius' aura started to take up half the room.

"I know, I know. But what?" Izzy asked. He looked at his wand and closed his eyes.

'_Mom, Dad, I could really use your help right about now. Wait!_' He started to think.

'_I'm not doing this for myself, remember? I'm doing this for all those humans._' Everything that happened since he came to Ocean Shores played in his mind. '_That race, meeting Keoni, making that love potion… What about those guys Otto wanted to be together? I won't let that bond be destroyed!_' Suddenly, Izzy's body started to glow with a golden energy.

'_What is that!?_' Claudius roared in his mind.

"Golden…" Izzy started as he opened his eyes. They glowed with the same golden energy he was emitting from his body. The golden aura covered the other half of the room and started fighting Claudius' dark aura. Lightning crackled where the two auras met.

"'This wizard will challenge the reigning king and a million golden lights will fill every section of the dark castle.'" Adrian said, surprising Sam & Reggie.

"What is that?" Sam asked.

"That's part of the ancient prophecy." Adrian replied, not taking his eyes off Izzy.

"So you _do_ know the prophecy." Reggie said. Adrian nodded.

"Does that mean Izzy's element is…?" Sam started.

"Light." Adrian finished.

"I won't be defeated!" Claudius bellowed, raising his wand. "Darkness Flash!" He lowered his wand and the dark energy went towards Izzy.

"And I won't let you destroy the lives of these humans!" Izzy replied, raising his wand as well. "**GOLDEN FLASH!!!**" He pointed the wand at Claudius and launched the gold energy. The two attacks collided, causing the entire castle to shake from the energy. The attacks went back and forth for a few minutes before Claudius' energy started to dissipate.

'_Oh no! I'm too tired from using all those flash attacks!_' Claudius thought with wide eyes. '_It's over…_' The dark energy completely disappeared and Claudius was engulfed in the light.

"AHHHH!!!!!" He screamed as the camera got white. The camera switched to Izzy, who closed his eyes with a smile and fell. The camera whited out.

"Izzy!" Adrian yelled as the camera whited out. The camera shifted to Reggie and Sam, who looked on with frightened faces. It went white and the camera went to the still-unconscious Otto & Twister. The camera whited out again.

Outside the castle…

"What can be taking so long?" Ray asked. Everybody was situated on the beach; the humans who fought their way out of the castle and any wizard & witch that got out safely. They weren't fighting; just looking at the castle.

"I hope the king wins." One wizard was heard saying.

"You dunce! How can you possibly want _him_ to win after all he's done to us?!" A witch yelled.

"Yeah! Especially to that poor kid!" Another wizard yelled. "I want that kid to win. He'll probably be a better ruler."

"Or he might destroy us for what happened these past six years." A second witch said nervously.

"Like that was our fault!" The first witch said. "That idiot king. _He's_ the one who ordered us to hunt him down!"

"Uhhh… Do you know what's happening over there?" Ray asked as he walked up to the arguing group.

"Why should we tell you, _human_?!" The first wizard yelled.

"Shut up!" The second witch said, hitting the wizard over the head. "Sorry about that. It seems that _some _people are still loyal to the king."

"So you guys hate him?" Ray asked.

"Oh yeah! He's a lousy ruler." The first witch replied. "He's destroyed the wizarding world's economy with his plans of war against all humans."

"And you didn't do anything about it?" Tito asked as he walked up to the group.

"We would have tried to stop him." The second wizard started. "But anyone who tried to go against his word was never seen again."

"I just hope the prophecy is right." The second witch said, casting a forlorn look towards the castle.

"Prophecy?" Ray & Tito asked, looking at each other.

"What going on!?" A random person yelled. The group turned towards the castle. A ton of lights was seen coming out of every window. Every wizard & witch started to cheer.

::BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!!!!!!!::

Everybody gasped as the castle exploded.

"Maurice!" Both of Twister's parents yelled.

"Sam!" Paula yelled.

"Reggie! Otto!" Ray yelled as well.

--------------------------------

A/N:

Me: Izzy!

Izzy: What?

Me: Make me a sandwich.

Izzy: ::Grumbles and leaves::

Me: Anyway, what will become of our heroes? Find next time in the final chapter of The Runaway!


	14. Epilogue

Me: Here we are in the last chapter!

Izzy: Finally! Now I don't have to be gay anymore!

Me: ::Evil grin:: Oh, I wouldn't say _that_…

Izzy: O.O Eeep!

Me: Now then, before we get to business, I want to thank everybody that reviewed. I truly appreciate it. Our next adventure will begin next Friday, but for the moment, enjoy the last chapter of this fic, plus the one-shot fic I'm going to post on Monday. Before I turn you loose on the chapter, please don't mind the page-long telling of what happened last time.

-----------------------------------

Last time on The Runaway…

(To the tune of "Live and Learn" [the music for the final boss battle in Sonic Adventure 2])

Otto: Hey! Otto Rocket here and this time, all five of us are doing commentary!

Reggie, Twister, Sam, and Izzy: Yeah!

Otto: Anyway, Izzy here fought a tough battle against that king. We're talking laser blasts galore, sword fights, the whole works!

Sam: Unfortunately, he got knocked out when the king used this move called "Darkness Flash."

Izzy: Yeah! That cheap little—

Reggie: Anyway, Otto brought out this weird block that helped him get everybody else out of the castle.

Twister: He used it to give us these weird items to knock the wand away from the king.

Otto: Sam & Twist distracted the king long enough for me to get in close. When he got ready to use that flash move of his, I used my cape to get the wand away from him, causing that king to do a nasty face plant on the floor.

Sam: His wand landed a few feet away and he started to crawl for it.

Izzy: Reggie helped me recover with a healing potion and I froze the king's wand before he even came close to getting it back. I started gloating at his misfortune. I would've ended the battle right then and there if SOMEBODY hadn't dropped their power up! ::Glares at Twister::

Twister: Heh. Sorry about that. Anyway, that king got his wand back and he blasted Ottoman. He started falling, but luckily, I was able to catch him. I was flying too low though and crashed. Otto and me were done.

Reggie: The king would've killed us for sure if Adrian hadn't come and gave Izzy his wand. He was able to defend against the king's attack. Izzy got him badly using the power he was reunited with.

Izzy: Yeah! I used my own flash attack to counter the king's and destroyed him.

Sam: ¬¬ Yeah, and you blew up the castle too.

Izzy: Oops…

Otto: And now the biggest question.

Everybody: What happened to us!?!?!?!?!

-----------------------------------

The Runaway Epilogue: The Greatest Ending Four Kids Can Ever Wish For

"_Sources say the castle that rose out of the sea a few days ago was home to an evil wizard king. The castle was destroyed a few hours later by Izzy Lopez._" A news reporter said as pictures of the destroyed castle were displayed on a TV. It then displayed footage of celebrating people.

"_As a result of the defeat of the evil king, the magical residents of the town of Ocean Shores were celebrating, honoring their savior._" Wizards and witches were shown making fireworks appear in the sky. They were also shown dancing in the streets and in the air.

"_Speaking of which, Izzy and five other kids were hospitalized after the castle's explosion. They are in stable condition. In other news…_" The screen faded.

-----------------------------------

"How are they, doc?" Ray asked as he walked in the hospital room, followed by Tito and Twister & Sam's parents.

"Most of them have regained consciousness." The doctor said as he gestured towards Otto, Reggie, Twister, and Sam. They were sitting in bed, groaning at the pain they were feeling.

"What about Izzy and that other kid?" Tito asked as the other adults went to comfort their children.

"Adrian is up too. He seemed to recover faster than everyone else, but Izzy is a strange case." The doctor replied as he pointed to where a curtain was drawn. A strange light was flickering. He and Tito walked up to the curtain and opened it. Adrian was sitting by Izzy's bed. The brunet in the black cape was lying on it. His body was flashing white. The light would go on and off every now and then. His wand, hat, and sunglasses were sitting on a table by the bed. Next to them was Claudius' crown.

"As you can see, Izzy is still unconscious. I can't explain that flashing though." The doctor whispered to Tito, trying not to disturb Adrian, who was praying.

"Oh Izzy, please wake up soon." He whispered to himself.

-----------------------------------

"Izzy…" A female voice said. The camera zoomed in on Izzy, who's no longer lying on a hospital bed, but on the ground. His wand was clasped in his left hand and he was wearing his hat.

"Izzy…" A male voice called. Izzy began to stir. He slowly opened his eyes.

"Ugh… What happened?" He asked himself as he groggily stood up. He looked around at his surroundings. Everywhere around him was white. He looked at his wand. "I remember fighting the king with my wand, but after that… Nothing. I don't remember what happened." He gave a sigh. "At least my wand is intact. I'm still alive."

"Izzy…" The female said. Izzy looked up in shock.

"That voice… It sounds familiar."

"Izzy…" The male said. Izzy gasped.

"Could it be?" He jumped up and started floating. The two voices kept calling his name.

Izzy followed the voices through the infinite white before he came across two figures. On the left was a woman holding a curvy azure wand and on the right was a man holding a red-orange wand identical to Adrian's. They were both wearing black capes like Izzy.

"Is it really you?" The boy asked as he held out his right hand toward the couple. They nodded and gave a smile.

"I see you got your wand back, son." The man said. Izzy grinned.

"Yeah. It took forever, but I got it back, Dad."

"Congratulations Izzy." Izzy's mother said. Izzy gasped as he noticed the wands his parents had. He put on a sullen look. "What's wrong?"

"I'm dead, aren't I?" Izzy asked. "I saw your wands crumble into dust that day and yet you guys have your wands right here. I must've croaked as a result of the fight." He looked down. His mom floated over and hugged him.

"You're not dead, Izzy." She began. "You're still very much alive. You just got knocked out from using too much energy." Izzy looked up.

"Then where am I?"

"You're dreaming right now. Your mother & I came in your mind using a dream charm." Izzy's dad answered. He floated over as well.

"So you CAN use magic even when you're dead." Izzy said with amazement. His dad nodded.

"We also saw the fight between you and the king. You followed that prophecy to a T. I'm proud of you."

"The prophecy…" Izzy said as he separated from his parents. "About that. Mom, Dad, I'm—"

"We know." Izzy's dad interrupted.

"Oh." Izzy looked down.

"And we don't care." Izzy's mom said, bringing the boy's head up.

"You don't?"

"Hell no!" His dad said with a hearty chuckle. "You're part of the prophecy, remember? It's your destiny."

"Besides," Izzy's mom started. "We're dead. There's not much we can do about who you choose to love besides haunt you while you sleep." She giggled at that one. Izzy and his dad gave her an odd look.

"Anyway…" Izzy's dad started as he turned back to his son. "We have to go now."

"But why?" Izzy asked.

"We can't stay any longer." Izzy's mom replied. "If we don't leave soon, we'll be trapped in your mind forever." Izzy gave a grimace.

"Ok. I love you and all, but having you guys in my mind definitely isn't a good thing."

"Hey!" His dad said good-heartedly while chuckling.

"Before we go though, we want to give you something." His mom said. "We don't really need it much anymore."

"What is it?" Izzy asked. His parents' wands started to glow.

"We're going to give you our powers." Izzy's dad said.

"That way, you'll always have a piece of us inside you." Izzy's mom supplied. "Now hold out your wand."

"Like this?" Izzy asked as he pointed his wand forward. His parents then aimed their wands at him. A red beam shot out of his dad's wand and a blue beam shot out of his mom's wand. The beams hit Izzy's wand and it started to glow.

"We hope you have a nice life, Izzy." His dad said.

"We only wish you happiness in the future." His mom said.

"Mom, Dad, thank you." Izzy said as the camera went white.

-----------------------------------

"He got hurt THAT badly?" Twister asked. All of the teens were standing around Izzy's bed.

"Well, he _did_ use up a lot of his energy." Reggie said, turning to him.

"Yeah. You should've seen what happened." Sam added.

"Well, we _were_ knocked out, remember?" Otto argued. The light coming from Izzy stopped glowing suddenly.

"Izzy…?" Adrian said. An alarm started to ring in the background.

"_Code blue. Code blue._" An announcer said. A doctor ran past the room, followed by a few nurses.

"I guess someone's suffering from a heart attack." Sam said solemnly. Suddenly, Izzy's wand flickered and a purple light came out of the jewel, surprising everybody. All six of the teens' bodies glowed the same color. The light then engulfed the rest of the hospital.

-----------------------------------

"Quick! I need those shock paddles!" A doctor yelled. He was the same doctor seen earlier with the nurses. They were with a patient, who was flat lining.

"Here Doctor!" A nurse yelled back as she wheeled the machine to the doctor. He took the paddles and rubbed them together.

"Clear!" The doctor said, getting ready to administer the paddles. Just then, the room was engulfed in the light from Izzy's wand and the patient's body glowed purple.

"Wait! The patient is recovering!" Another nurse said. She was looking at the heart rate monitor. It was beeping rather than flat lining. The patient opened his eyes.

"Uh? I'm alive?" He asked.

-----------------------------------

"What was that about?" Reggie asked as the glowing stopped.

"Hey! My arm's feeling better!" Otto yelled while freely moving his left arm, which was sprained.

"And my chest doesn't hurt anymore." Sam said with disbelief.

"Hey, my leg's all better again!" Twister yelled excitedly. "But it still itches!" He scratched at the cast on his right leg.

"So _that's_ what he did." Adrian said, removing the bandages from his forehead. "Izzy used a healing spell."

"In his sleep?" Otto asked. Everybody turned towards Izzy, who started to stir. He slowly opened his eyes and allowed them to adjust to the room's light.

"Whew. I survived that one. Where am I though?" He asked himself, unaware of everybody else in the room.

"You're in the hospital." Reggie answered, shocking him. He bolted up and looked around at everybody.

"The hospital? But how?"

"Here's what happened…" Adrian started.

::::Flashback::::

_"**GOLDEN FLASH!!!**" Izzy roared, shooting his attack at Claudius._

_"AHHHHH!!!" Claudius yelled as his body disappeared into the light. His crown fell and landed on the ground with a clang. Amazingly, it didn't break. The castle started to shake as Izzy fainted and fell. He landed on his back._

_"Izzy!" Adrian yelled. The barrier surrounding him and everyone else disappeared. He ran over to the fallen boy, dodging falling debris along the way. _

_"Ugh. It's too bright in here!" The entire room was lit up in a near-blinding light. Adrian made it to the other wizard. He noticed Izzy's sunglasses in the boy's shorts pocket. He put them on and lifted Izzy onto his shoulders._

_"Look out!" Reggie yelled. Adrian looked up and noticed some rocks falling in their direction._

_"Oh no you don't!" He yelled as he took out his wand and fired a beam of energy at the rocks, destroying them. He made it to where Reggie and the others were. Adrian gasped as he remembered something._

_"The crown!" He put Izzy down and ran over to where the crown was. He picked it up and sighed with relief, unknowing of the rocks that were falling. Adrian looked up and saw the rocks coming! They were too close for him to destroy without him getting hit by the blast. He ducked down, waiting for the inevitable._

_::WHAM! BAM! CRASH!::_

_Adrian__ looked up and the rocks were destroyed. He looked over in the direction of everybody else. Hammer-Jet Squid was standing in an offensive position, hammer in hand. Adrian smiled and quickly ran over to the group. _

_"Hurry! Get everyone close to me!" He yelled over the noise._

_"Right!" Reggie and Sam replied. The three conscious teens pulled the unconscious ones close together. Reggie carefully pulled Otto, Sam was pulling Twister, and Adrian got Izzy. When all of them were close together, Adrian made the tip of his wand glow brightly._

_"Teleport!" He yelled. Everybody glowed white and disappeared just as the castle blew up._

_At the beach…_

_"They didn't make it…" Tito said sadly. The other adults were crying at the loss of their kids. Just then, a bright light flickered on the sand in front of them. The light faded and the six teens were lying unconscious on the sand._

::::End Flashback::::

"And that's what happened." Adrian said. Izzy seemed to be thinking over all that.

"What was that move I used? It sounds like it was the same spell Claudius used, only brighter." He said. Adrian nodded.

"It's called a flash attack. It's the most powerful offensive spell a wizard can ever learn. There are different flash attacks for each element."

"Like that Darkness Flash the king used?" Otto asked.

"Yes." Adrian answered. "Claudius was a dark element, so that was his move."

"Then what's with my Golden Flash?" Izzy asked.

"I thought for sure you would've figured it out by now." Adrian said, chuckling. "You're a light element, not a wind element."

"Light? Isn't that a really rare element?" Adrian nodded to answer Izzy's question. "How did I use it though? I only had my wand in my hands for a few minutes."

"At times of great peril, one can summon up great strength." Adrian said in a philosophical tone. Everybody gave him a strange look. "Look, you just used it 'cause it was the right time. There is one side effect to using that spell: You lose a LOT of energy when you use it if you're not experienced. You need to learn how to control it."

"Ok. So answer me this: Why did you take that dumb king's crown back with us?"

"I took it to follow the prophecy." Adrian replied.

"Ok! I've heard enough of this!" Reggie suddenly yelled.

"Yeah! What does the prophecy say, anyway?!" Sam added. Otto and Twister gave them weirded out looks.

"The king gave you guys the basic gist of it, but here's what it said." Adrian said. "'The hundredth descendent of Merlin will be the strongest wizard. The wizard will come to possess a golden wand and the ability to run as fast as the wind. He will also not be able to bear children. This wizard will challenge the reigning king and a million golden lights will fill every section of the dark castle. He will defeat the dark king and peace will exist between all humans & wizards.'"

"That fits what happened perfectly." Izzy said with wide eyes. "But that still doesn't answer my question."

"Genius, you get to become king because you defeated the one in charge." Adrian shot back bluntly.

"King? Me? Yeah right!" Izzy laughed.

"Hey, it's in the prophecy, right?" Adrian said with a shrug. Twister walked over to the table and picked up the golden wand.

"So _this_ is your wand." He said, examining it. "Abracadabra!" He pointed it at Sam, who flinched. Nothing happened though.

"Gimme that!" Izzy yelled as he jumped off the bed and tackled Twister. He snatched the wand from the other boy's grasp. "Duh! Only _I_ can use this wand! Like so." And he made a can of soda appear out of thin air. He sat back on the bed and drank.

"Izzy, what happened to your wand?" Adrian asked. Izzy looked up from his soda and then at the wand. The sapphire at the tip had changed into a purple amethyst. He looked at the jewel in confusion before he remembered the dream he had.

"My parents gave me their powers." He replied.

"Ummm… A little more detail, perhaps?" Reggie said. Izzy told them about the dream.

"So what? Now you're even more powerful than you were before?" Otto asked after hearing everything.

"I guess so." Izzy replied with a shrug. "I don't feel any different." After that, everybody else got up to go back to their beds. "Adrian?" He said, stopping his friend. "Could you stay here a sec?"

"Sure." Adrian replied, sitting next to him on the bed. "What's up?"

"Well, I wanted to thank you for everything." Izzy started. "The air skates, teaching me how to fly, the advice, and most importantly, finding my wand. If it wasn't for you, I would've been dead. You deserve as much credit for saving the wizarding world as I do, maybe more." Adrian shook his head.

"Listen, it was definitely you who was responsible for destroying Claudius. I just provided the tools."

"Another thing. About that kiss in the castle, I'm sorry I did that. I was just so happy that I was able to see my wand after so long, I wasn't able to restrain my emotions."

"Izzy…" Adrian sighed. "It's time I came clean. I love you. That's why I gave you that advice and the skates." Izzy gasped.

"So _that's_ why you were trying to get rid of Keoni."

"Yeah. I just couldn't let anybody get in the way of us. I hope you can forgive me."

"Oh Adrian!" Izzy said as he hugged his friend. "Of course I forgive you. I love you too." And they kissed deeply. The kiss wasn't as strong as when they were in the castle, but it was still good.

-----------------------------------

"So if you were a wizard, what element would you want to be?" Reggie asked.

"It was kinda fun shooting lightning bolts like that, so I would be a thunder element." Sam replied.

"It wasn't so bad tossing fire either, so I wanna be a fire element." Twister said.

"While being a wind element was fun, I think I would much rather be a water element." Reggie said. "I'd be the best surfer in Ocean Shores."

"What do you think, Otto?" Sam asked.

"Huh?" Otto asked, turning to the others. He was listening to the conversation Izzy & Adrian were having.

"What kind of wizard would you be?" Reggie asked as her brother joined them.

"I don't know." Otto shrugged.

"Oh I know! He'd be light!" Twister exclaimed.

"Light?" The other kids asked.

"Yeah. Cause he's got a heart of gold."

"Puh-lease! How corny could ya get!?" Reggie laughed. Sam laughed as well. Otto, however, was in thought.

'_Heart of gold? Me?_' He blushed.

-----------------------------------

"Ahhh… Smell that guys?" Izzy asked as he and the others walked out of the hospital. "That's the smell of freedom. No longer will I be pursued by other witches and wizards. I'm free to go wherever I please." He paused and turned to Adrian.

"Uhhh… I _could_ go anywhere I want, right?" The smaller wizard chuckled.

"Of course. Claudius was the one who cursed you. Because you killed him, you broke the curse." Izzy grinned at that.  

"Thank goodness. Anyway, best of all, I got my wand back. I'll never let it out of my grip again."

"Oh really?" Adrian challenged as he walked up to his new boyfriend. "Not even…" He whispered the rest in Izzy's ear. Izzy's face turned bright red.

"Well I don't know about THAT…" Everybody else laughed.

-----------------------------------

"Hey Otto! Thanks for helping everybody get out of there!" A random person yelled as he walked by.

"No prob, dude!" Otto yelled back.

"Hey Izzy! Thanks for ridding the world of that king!" A random witch said as she flew by.

"Heh. No problem." Izzy replied.

It's been a week since everybody was released from the hospital. Because of the earthquake, school was cancelled for September. No one was complaining though. Everyone was at the Shack chilling. Otto & Izzy, the two heroes, have been getting compliments from human and wizard alike all week. They were still doing their delivery job.

"I guess I wasn't able to make enough money for that car." Otto said dejectedly. He sighed.

"Car? What do ya mean, dude?" Twister asked.

"I wanted to do this job so I could get a used car to drive in, but because of everything that happened during the summer, I didn't earn enough."

"Well, that's one plot point that's not getting resolved anytime soon." Reggie said.

"Speaking of plot points," Izzy started, turning to the redhead. "Did your two friends ever get together?" Otto gulped and put on a nervous look.

"Errr…"

"What are you talking about?" Sam asked.

"I made Otto a love potion to pay him back for helping me earlier in the season." Izzy replied. "He said it was for two friends."

"So _that's_ why you were getting all that stuff before." Twister said.

"Yea—Hey! You were spying on us!?"

"Not really…" Reggie said.

"Why do you ask, anyway?" Otto asked, trying to keep a calm expression.

"Well, before I used my flash attack, I thought about why I was doing this and that came up as one of my reasons." Izzy replied.

"By any chance, what kind of love potion was it you made?" Adrian asked.

"Uhh… It was called a Super Love Potion. Why?"

"Just wanted to know. That's the one that requires the two hair samples, right?"

"Yeah. And only those two people can experience the effects of the potion." Izzy said.

"And if the drinker already likes the other person, it has no effect." Adrian continued the lesson.

"I know that already. What about it?" Izzy snapped his fingers. "Hey, did you ever tell your friend about that part, Otto?"

"Uhhh… no." Otto replied. Izzy slapped his head.

"And were you ever planning on it?"

"Yeah…" Otto answered. Everybody else raised an eyebrow.

"Ya know, it's strange. I felt the weirdest familiarity when Otto gave me the hair strands to use." Izzy said after a few moments of silence.

"What do ya mean?" Twister asked.

"Well, it felt like I knew the owners of the strands already, but that's impossible because Otto told me I've never seen those two friends before."

"Oh really?" Reggie said, turning to her brother, who started to back up nervously. "And who, pray tell, have _you_ been trying to hook up?"

"Uhhh… W-well…" Otto stuttered.

"Otto! Delivery!" Ray suddenly yelled, surprising everybody.

"Later!" Otto yelled as he grabbed a bag of food and skated out of the Shack before anybody said anything. Everybody looked at his retreating form.

"Was that potion for two guys?" Adrian whispered to Izzy.

"Yeah." He whispered back. Adrian gave a knowing nod.

"You know, Izzy, Otto isn't exactly the most truthful person in the world." Reggie said, turning towards the boy.

"oO He's not?" He asked. Everybody else but Adrian nodded. "You think he lied about those two friends of his?" Everybody nodded again. Izzy got in a thinking pose. "Then who did he want it for?"

"First of all, what color were the two strands?" Sam asked.

"Let's see…" Izzy said, trying to remember when Otto gave him the strands. "I believe the strands were red and orange."

"Well, it's obvious that the red one is Otto." Reggie started. "But who's the orange strand?"

"What girls do we know with orange hair?" Sam asked.

"None." Reggie said, trying to think up an answer. "Maybe…"

"Whew! It sure is hot today." Twister said, interrupting the conversation. Everybody turned to see him take off his hat and wipe sweat from the top of his head. Reggie & Sam gasped at the sight of the boy's hair.

"That's it! That's why he's been acting weird this whole time!" Reggie yelled.

"Oh man. I should've seen it before." Sam said. Twister turned to the others.

"Did I miss something?" He asked.

-----------------------------------

Otto, having made his delivery, was skating around frantically.

'_Oh man! What am I gonna do?_' He thought. '_They probably found out what I wanted to use that potion for. I don't know what to do. I need to think this out. I know! I'll go to The Point. I'll be able to chill out and think things through. But how am I supposed to get there without being seen? I'd have to go past the Shack._' He snapped his fingers.

'_That's it! I'll fly over!_' He started skating towards his house. When Otto got there, he ran up to his room and dug around until he found the power block. He went out to the balcony.

"Give me a leaf!" He yelled as he hit the block, causing it to produce a super leaf. He grabbed it and became Raccoon Otto. He dropped the block and grabbed his board. He then flapped his tail and took flight.

-----------------------------------

"Otto!" Sam yelled as he skated around.

"Rocket Boy!" Reggie yelled as she skated past Mad Town.

"Ottoman!" Twister yelled as he skated around the amusement park.

"Otto! Where are you?" Izzy yelled as he flew around.

"Otto! You around?" Adrian yelled as he too flew around. They were all looking for the skater since he didn't return to the Shack. The group came back to the Shack after an hour of searching. It was now sunset.

"Did you find him?" Reggie asked. Everybody else shook their heads sadly.

"I hope he didn't do anything drastic." Sam said.

"He couldn't have." Izzy said, trying to get everyone out of the gloomy mood.

"Did we check all of his favorite spots to hang out?" Adrian asked.

"Yeah. Like ten times. He wasn't anywhere." Sam replied.

"What about you, Twister?" Reggie asked, turning to Twister, who was deep in thought.

'_He really likes me?_' After Otto left, Reggie and the others told Twister that Otto liked him and had the love potion made for him. '_Wow. I thought for sure he wouldn't like me._'

"Twister!" Reggie yelled, shocking the boy.

"Huh? Yeah?"

"Did you come close to finding Otto?" Twister shook his head.

"Come on! There has to be one place we didn't check yet." Adrian said.

"Maybe he went to The Point." Sam offered.

"The Point?" Izzy & Adrian asked.

"Yeah. It's a great place to relax and collect your thoughts."

"Then let's go!" Reggie said.

"Hold it." Izzy said, turning to Twister. "We figured out that Otto likes you, but we never asked. How do you feel about him?"

"I don't know. I never really thought about it." Twister replied.

"Are you sure? Has anything ever happened that made you think about Otto? Like dreams perhaps?"

"Well, I did have some dreams about him." Twister answered, blushing. Izzy nodded.

"I think you should go see him alone."

"Is that ok with you, Reggie?" Twister asked.

"Yeah." Reggie nodded. "Anything to get my brother back to normal, but hurry up." Twister grinned.

"No problem!" He left and skated off in the direction of the beach. Just then, two men in suits walked inside.

"Izzy Lopez?" One of the men asked.

"Yes?" Izzy asked.

"We've been sent here from the royal high council." The man replied. Izzy automatically got out his wand and prepared to attack.

"If you think I'm gonna let you lay one paw on my wand—"

"Wait! We're not here for your wand!" The other man interrupted, holding his hands in defense.

"Then what is it you want?" Izzy growled. The first man cleared his throat.

"As I said, we were sent here from the royal high council of the wizarding world."

"And what is that, exactly?" Izzy asked, starting to calm down.

"They're the ones who rule over the wizarding world when the current king gets killed." Adrian answered.

"That's correct." The second man said. "In accordance with Merlin's last will & testament—"

"Last will & testament?" Izzy asked.

"The—uhh—prophecy."

"Oh. Go on then."

"In accordance with the prophecy, you are to become king of all wizards." Izzy gasped and turned to Adrian.

"I guess you weren't kidding when you said I would become king." He said sheepishly. Adrian crossed his arms.

"You're damn right I wasn't kidding!"

"Forgive me?" Izzy asked.

"Of course." Adrian replied, kissing his boyfriend in the process.

"Ahem! Can we continue this?" The first man said. Izzy & Adrian separated. "Anyway, the coronation ceremony is scheduled for tomorrow. You may choose the location."

"How about Mad Town?" Sam asked.

"Hey, that's a good idea!" Izzy said. "That'll be my decision."

"And where is this 'Mad Town?'" The first man asked.

"Right there." Reggie said as she pointed towards the skate park.

"Ok. We'll have to talk to the park's owner to get the ok." The second man said, writing something on a clipboard.

"The ceremony will be at two PM tomorrow." The first man said.

"Alright. Anything else?" Izzy asked.

"Nope. The refreshments have already been picked out. The only thing we need, however, is the old king's crown."

"Here you go." Adrian said. He waved his wand, making the crown materialize. He handed it to the two suits.

"We'll shine it up real nice for you. See you tomorrow." The first man said. The two suits bowed respectfully to Izzy before leaving.

"Did you hear that!? I'm gonna be king!" Izzy yelled happily, jumping in the air.

"Congrats…" Everybody else said gloomily. It seems that Otto was still on their minds. The wizard got out of his emotional high and sighed.

-----------------------------------

Otto sat on a lone rock overlooking the sea. He no longer had his raccoon powers. He sighed.

'_I'll have to tell them the truth._' He thought. '_I've been living this lie for too long. I just hope everybody will take it ok, especially Twister._' He sighed again.

'_But what if they don't accept me? I'd have to leave. But where will I go?_' He shed a tear as he heard footsteps on the sand. Otto chose to ignore the visitor. He didn't care who was there.

"Otto?" The visitor asked. Otto brought his head around to face his best bro.

"Twister? What are you doing here?"

"I've been looking for you all day. Everybody has. You didn't come back to the Shack after your delivery." Twister answered as he walked up and sat next to Otto on the rock. Otto turned his gaze back to the sea.

"I…I just needed to think a little."

"About…?"

"Just stuff." Otto replied.

"That potion?" Twister asked.

"Yeah…" Otto said sadly. He turned to Twister. "I love you, ok? I asked him to make that stupid potion to get you to like me without having to go through all that confession junk, but the potion didn't even work because—"

"Otto…" Twister started, removing the other boy's sunglasses. "I love you too." He put a hand up to Otto's face and brought him close. They locked lips and stayed that way for quite some time before they parted, panting.

"You really feel the same way as me?" Otto asked. Twister nodded.

"For the longest time, I've been having dreams about you. It took until a few minutes ago for me to know my true feelings."

"So you've been having dreams too." Otto said. "It's been crazy. I couldn't stop thinking about you, no matter how hard I tried."

"I understand. Do you want to be my boyfriend?"

"You know it! …But what will everybody else say?"

"Everybody was ok with Keoni, weren't they? They'll be ok with us too." Twister replied as he put an arm around Otto. The smaller boy leaned into him. They just watched the sunset in silence, taking in each other's presence. After a few minutes, Twister stood up. "Ready to go?"

"Yeah." Otto replied as he got off the rock. He walked up to Twister and the two kissed again. They got on their boards and went back to town.

-----------------------------------

Everybody at the Shack was just bored.

"Got any twos?" Adrian asked with little enthusiasm. He and Reggie were playing a game of Go Fish.

"Go fish." Reggie replied in the same tone. Adrian slowly picked up a card from the deck. "Got any aces?"

"Go fish."

Sam was typing on his laptop and looked ready to drop. Ray & Tito were talking behind the counter. Izzy was outside, floating on his back, sleeping. He drifted around for a few minutes before opening his eyes. He yawned and looked out towards the beach. Two figures were walking by Mad Town. They were holding hands and they had skateboards under their arms.

"Hey! There they are!" He yelled. Everybody else bolted out of the Shack and ran up to Otto & Twister.

"Otto! You're ok!" Reggie yelled as she hugged her brother tightly.

"Good to see you're safe." Sam said.

"You shouldn't have run away like that." Ray said.

"Yeah. Sorry about worrying all of you." Otto said. "I have a confession to make. I'm sure you guys already know this, but I'm gay." He closed his eyes and waited for the results.

"That's ok." Reggie said. Otto's eyes shot open.

"R-really?"

"Yeah. As long as you're happy, I don't care what you do." Ray said. "As long as it's not illegal, of course." Everybody laughed.

"Oh, and Twist & me are a couple." Otto said.

"Congratulations!!!" Everybody else yelled as they clapped. Otto grinned and shared a quick kiss with Twister. Sam sighed.

'_Everybody but Reggie & I have someone._' He thought. '_I wonder…_' He glanced at Reggie.

"Come on. Let's close up and go home." Ray said.

"Yeah. I still need to talk to my parents & Lars." Twister said with a small grimace.

"Don't worry, dude. They'll be cool about it." Otto said, giving his best bro, now boyfriend, a reassuring hug. Everybody walked up to the Shack.

That night, at Twister's house…

"Mom, Dad, Lars. I got something to tell ya." Twister said as everybody was sitting down to dinner. He opened his mouth and was about to confess when…

"Oh Maurice!" His parents cried. "Our son's not gonna be a father!" They hugged each other and continued bawling. Confused, Twister turned to Lars, who had his arms crossed.

"What's their deal?"

"They looked at your journal." Lars replied simply. Twister gasped. In his personal journal, he mentioned that he was gay. He also wrote about the dreams he's had about Otto and his confusion regarding them.

"And I wonder how they got into it!" He glared at his older brother. Lars glared back just as ferociously.

"Hey! I had to do something! You've been acting like a lame-o since that kid beat Otto in that race!" Twister remembered how he acted after Izzy beat his boyfriend. He cried for those two days in his room, wishing Otto would come out of his room. He sighed.

"And now they know?" Twister asked, pointing at his parents, who were still going at it. "That's real nice, Lars!"

"So is he your boyfriend?" Lars asked, referring to Otto.

"Yeah…" Twister nodded. "That cool with you?" Lars shrugged.

"I honestly could care less."

"Think they'll get over it?" Twister gestured to their parents again.

"Eventually." Lars said as he started to eat. "By the way, congrats." He smiled. Twister smiled back and started eating his dinner too.

-----------------------------------

"Where is he?" Twister asked impatiently. It was the next day and everybody was sitting on a stage that was set up in Mad Town. Chairs were on the ground in front of the stage. They were set up in two rows. Humans and wizards occupied the seats. In the middle of the rows was a red carpet that stretched from a tent to the stage.

"Izzy said he wanted to make an entrance." Otto told his boyfriend.

"Well, he'd better get here soon." A priest said. "If he doesn't get here before two, he can't become king."

"Where could he be?" Adrian asked worriedly.

-----------------------------------

At the Rocket house, Izzy walked out and stretched his legs.

"This'll be good." He looked at his watch. "Ten minutes left. I better hurry." He started running down the hill at Speed Two.

Halfway down the hill, he pointed his wand towards the ground and made a spring appear. Izzy ran up to it and bounced high into the sky. He flipped in the air and pointed his wand down. A grassy platform appeared. He landed on it and started running, twirling his wand like a baton the whole time. More land appeared and he kept on running. He started going right and made the platform spiral upwards. He reached the top of the hill and hit a spring, which propelled him forward. He spun in the air and made a giant rail appear. It stretched all the way to the pier. He landed on the rail and started grinding. He danced on the rail to make himself go faster. After the rail dipped and looped around a couple times, Izzy jumped off. He was now above the Shack.

"Hey look! There he is!" Sam yelled. Everybody looked up and cheered.

"Finally!" Reggie yelled impatiently.

Izzy pointed his wand to the side and down, causing a complex grass platform to appear. It started out as a wall, going on to a loop and then a spiral run down to the ground. He ran along the wall, then on even ground to the loop. After running straight down for a few seconds, the spiral began and he started running along the wall. The track ended at a spring in front of the Shack. He hit it and he was propelled to one of the columns. He did a wall jump and landed on the rail close by, grinding it down to Mad Town. He jumped at the end and landed in front of the park's entrance. He gave a bow as everyone clapped at the performance. Izzy walked over to the tent in back.

"Took you long enough." An attendant said as he entered the tent.

"Sorry about that." He said sheepishly.

"Come on. We gotta make you look good." The attendant said. She pointed her wand towards Izzy. His clothes changed from the skater clothes he was wearing to a black tux. He was still wearing his cape.

"It's kinda hot in here." Izzy said, wiping sweat from his brow.

"Never mind that! You're good to go." The young witch gave Izzy a thumbs-up. Just then, an orchestra started playing. "That's your cue!" The attendant pushed him out of the tent. His face flushed as he noticed everybody staring at him.

Izzy closed his eyes and made his way forward. He had his hands in front of himself as he walked with a confident air around him. He soon stood in front of the stage. He opened his eyes and looked up. All his friends and his boyfriend were giving him encouraging looks. Izzy floated up and landed on the stage. He kneeled in front of the priest. The orchestra stopped playing.

"We are gathered here today to crown this wizard who saved all of us from certain destruction." The priest started. "Do you, Izzy Lopez, promise to rule over all wizards and witches with a just and fair mind? Never to lead your kingdom to war with anyone, human or otherwise, unless absolutely necessary? And most importantly, never to spend all of your kingdom's money!?"

"oO I do…" Izzy replied.

"Then, by the powers vested in me by the royal high council of the wizarding world, I pronounce you king of all wizards and witches." The priest picked up the crown, which was sitting on a velvet pillow. Izzy removed his hat. The priest tried to put the crown on him, but it kept bouncing off his huge hair do! The crowd started snickering.

"Heh heh. I guess I better get a hair cut." Izzy said sheepishly. The crowd roared with laughter. The priest scratched his head.

"Well anyway, give it up for your new king! We'll deal with that hair problem later." The crowd cheered.

Everybody then enjoyed a night of dancing and entertainment. There were even skating competitions pitting the skaters of Ocean Shores against wizards who had air skates. Izzy stayed out of the contests because his speed would give him an unfair advantage. Needless to say, Otto participated in the games and won just about all of them.

There was also break dancing contests in which the newly-appointed king gladly participated in. Surprisingly, Twister also entered the contests. Izzy won quite a few of them, but most of the matches ended with the wizard and the cameraman facing off against each other. Often, the king's speed wasn't a match for the aspiring director's impressive techniques.

Meanwhile, Sam enjoyed interesting discussions with some wizards about the technology of their world. He found out that they have mainly the same things, although some wizards still live in the past. In fact, most don't even know what a telephone is, let alone a computer! Sam managed to exchange e-mail addresses with the magical people.

Reggie also participated in chats with some wizards. Actually, she interviewed as many as possible for an article in the 'Zine. Most of her questions consisted of the "rules" of being a wizard. Like, "How many spells of other elements are you able to do?" or "How long does it take to fly?" among many other questions. She even compared the publications of wizards with those of normal people. It turned out that newspapers and magazines made by wizards feature _moving_ pictures! Without a doubt, fun was had by all.

-----------------------------------

"I'm going back home. Adrian and I are gonna do our senior year of magic high school." Izzy said. It was the next day and everyone was at the airport. "Thanks for everything."

"No prob, dude." Reggie said.

"We'll miss ya." Twister said.

"Have a safe trip." Sam said.

"Hey Izzy." Otto said. "You forgot this." He took out the power block and handed it to Izzy.

"Keep it." Izzy replied, giving it back. "You never know when those power ups would come in handy. Another thing." He took out his wand. "I wanna give ya a parting gift since the love potion thing backfired."

"You don't have to." Otto offered.

"I insist." Izzy said as he held up his wand. He concentrated all his energy. The wand started to glow brightly for a few minutes before the light faded. He looked tired afterwards. He leaned against Adrian.

"You alright?" The smaller wizard asked. The taller one nodded as he stood up.

"Whew. It's done." Izzy waved the wand and a small blue box with a red bow appeared in Otto's hands.

"What's this?" Otto asked as he eyed the box.

"It's a surprise. Don't open it until you get outside." Izzy winked.

"_The flight to New Jersey is now boarding._" An announcer said over the intercom.

"Better get going." Ray said. Izzy nodded.

"Right. Otto, Twister, I hope you two have a prosperous relationship."

"Same to you." Twister replied. Izzy and Adrian started walking.

"Aloha!" Tito yelled.

"See ya! Maybe we'll come for a visit someday!" Adrian said as he waved at the group. They waved back.

"It'll be a blast!" Otto yelled. Izzy and Adrian walked inside the tunnel to the plane.

"So what'd you give him?" Adrian asked as they boarded the plane.

"Just something he's been wanting for a long time." Izzy replied. The plane took off a few minutes later.

-----------------------------------

"Life finally goes back to normal." Sam said as everybody started walking towards the exit.

"Yeah. It was fun while it lasted though." Reggie said. Everybody got outside and gasped at the sight before them.

"Am I dreaming?" Twister asked.

"Is that real?" Tito asked.

"So that's what he gave me…" Otto said with wide eyes. In front of the group was a brand-spanking-new hummer! It was black and there was a red bow wrapped around it. Otto opened the box and pulled out a set of keys. He grinned and turned to his dad.

"Can we?" Ray chuckled.

"Go ahead! Be careful though."

"Alright! Let's go guys!" Otto cheered as he ripped off the bow and hopped in the driver's seat. Twister got in the front passenger seat and Reggie & Sam got in back. Otto turned on the hummer and drove off into the sunset.

**THE END**

-----------------------------------

A/N:

Me: And there you have it folks! My first ever yaoi fic. I also believe it's the first slash fic done by a _straight_ guy! I don't like to brag but—

Izzy: Then don't. So what forced this whole thing, if ya don't mind me asking?

Me: This fic came about as the result of the horrid shortage of Rocket Power slash fics on the net, watching "Reggie's Big Break," and watching a few DBZ movies.

Izzy: DBZ movies? Well that explains how those battles went.

Me: ;; I didn't mean for them to come out that way if that's what the readers thought. Also, I wanted to prove to the world or at least this site that you don't have to be a girl, gay, or bi to read & write yaoi fics.

Izzy: Whatever. So do ya have any final words for the readers?

Me: Yeah. To the people who read this fic, please write more RP slash fics!

Izzy: oO

Me: That's right! They don't even have to be Otto/Twister. There are plenty of other couplings!

Izzy: Oh _this_ I gotta hear!

Me: You could write Otto/Keoni, Twister/Keoni. Hell, even Sam/Keoni, Twister/Sam, and Otto/Sam.

Izzy: O.O HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!! ::Bangs the floor::

Me: If ya really want to go nuts, try Otto/LARS!

Izzy: ::Stops laughing:: oO Are you crazy!? That one doesn't come close to making sense!

Me: ::Shrugs:: Hey, if people can write Reggie/Lars, they can certainly write Otto/Lars.

Izzy: ::Scratches head:: Good point, I guess…

Me: Well anyway, from lovely Ocean Shores, California, I'm Prince Izzy.

Izzy: And I'm Izzy.

Izzy & I: See ya!


End file.
